I need your ball, your bag, and your shoes.

July 5, 2019 2:29 PM

Here's the first episode of a YouTube series about a nice robot bowler called E.A.R.L. On the other hand, BowlBot 5000 is not so nice. (BowlBot via BoingBoing)
posted by zaixfeep (10 comments total)

EARL’s first episode reminds me of why I find bowling so damn frustrating (even though I used to enjoy bowling before I broke my elbow). Here’s a robot programmed for nothing but bowling, engineered by bowling masters, and throwing balls that hit the “pocket” 11 times out of 12, but still only gets seven strikes.

The tiny, TINY variations in technique that turn pocket shots from a nine-pin result into a strike are so MINUSCULE. My best game was something like 173, which was a fluke of getting lucky on a couple extra frames.

Mad props to the pros that strike on the reg, but that shit’s damn frustrating.

EARL looks pretty cool, though.
posted by darkstar at 4:03 PM on July 5, 2019 [1 favorite]

BowlBot is magnificent.
posted by figurant at 4:12 PM on July 5, 2019 [1 favorite]

Just to make it clear, BowlBot is just CGI made by motion graphics artist @TomCoben. It isn't real.
posted by AlSweigart at 5:11 PM on July 5, 2019 [9 favorites]

It isn't real.

I didn't rent it shoes. I'm not buying it a fucking beer.
posted by thelonius at 6:20 PM on July 5, 2019 [6 favorites]

That’s not a bowling robot. This is a bowling robot.
posted by chappell, ambrose at 6:22 PM on July 5, 2019

That's E.A.R.L. of the post.

I love BowlBot5000. I want Mark Pauline to make it real.
posted by rhizome at 7:42 PM on July 5, 2019 [2 favorites]

Imagine BowlBot5000 with slight calibration issues and shooting the ball backwards into the crowd at that speed. I'm kinda glad it doesn't really exist
posted by greenhornet at 8:21 PM on July 5, 2019 [1 favorite]

This is a bowling robot.

That actuator was over the line. Mark it zero.
posted by sysinfo at 8:22 PM on July 5, 2019 [5 favorites]

After seeing BowlBot, I realized I could probably bowl a consistent 280-300 game using the right ball and a small cannon, assuming I could find a sufficiently sturdy bowling alley.
posted by zaixfeep at 4:12 AM on July 6, 2019 [1 favorite]

Or, you could just switch to a new lane for each new frame. If you’re quick enough, you might finish the game and get out to the parking lot before what’s left of the back wall collapses.
posted by darkstar at 12:07 PM on July 6, 2019