Four-Legged Robot ANYmal-D Plays Badminton With Humans in ETH Zurich Breakthrough

A four-legged robot developed by researchers at ETH Zurich’s Robotic Systems Lab has demonstrated the ability to play badminton with human opponents.

Credit: 2025 Yuntao Ma, Robotic Systems Lab, ETH Zurich

The robot, named ANYmal-D, was designed and tested by a small team of roboticists in Switzerland. It uses a reinforcement learning-based controller to track, predict and respond to the movement of a shuttlecock during play.

The study, published in the journal Science Robotics, highlights the potential for multi-legged robots to participate in dynamic sports scenarios.

Unlike traditional humanoid robots, ANYmal-D features four legs, providing increased stability and flexibility. The robot is equipped with a stereo camera and a dynamic arm, enabling it to position itself and strike the shuttlecock accurately.

To enhance its performance, the team implemented a perception noise model. This model compares real-world data from the robot’s camera with information gathered during training, allowing it to mimic human-like actions such as follow-through strikes and base tilting to maintain visual contact with the shuttlecock.

Testing showed that ANYmal-D could move effectively around the court and maintain rallies with human players for up to 10 shots.

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• ETH Zurich team develops four-legged robot ANYmal-D to play badminton

• Robot uses stereo camera, dynamic arm and reinforcement learning controller

• Perception noise model helps mimic human-like movements

Source: TechXplore