AI Invents New Bowling Techniques

chad ragdoll bowls a 300 and then throws a strike 4 lanes over to assert dominance.

[KlausWulfenbach]

I'm going to have to try that "throw ball and immediately faceplant on the floor" technique next time I go bowling.

[Shako_Lamb]

My university occasionally has ice bowling events, literally bowling on an ice rink, wearing hockey gear, and this AI flopping around and faceplanting after throwing the ball is EXACTLY what it looks like 90% of the time

[celloj]

The Wii Bowling imitation was immaculate. This entire project is immaculate. I can't wait to see more from you!

[NameName.]

Honestly, the AI getting a spare is more impressive than a strike.

[NoHoleBagel]

I was hoping to see the AI figure out centrifugal force and start spinning faster and faster each time to launch the bowling ball at Mach speed

[hotaruishere]

I love how the AI resorts to faceplanting into the ground and throwing a tantrum every time it throws the ball 😂😂

[hotdogman]

I love how the camera still zooms in on the pins even though the bowling ball wasn't even remotely close to entering the correct bowling lane

[Taikamuna]

I love how he is so exhausted after every throw that he just straight up dies

[PushyPawn]

For all we know, if stumps for feet is all we had, this could be the best technique to bowl.

[cerberusthethird]

i like how one of the initial objectives was finishing the episode standing upright so it wouldn't just instantly faceplant every time and then halfway through you went "actually you know what little buddy you just do what you want"

[LogicalNiko]

To be honest completely throwing yourself off balance is a pretty effective way to transfer energy to the ball. The only real difference is in real life people tend not to like to severely injure themselves on every frame or two.

[drakedbz]

As a bowler myself, this is hilarious.

By the way, it might have been helpful to include information on which pins are standing as an input to the system. Then it might stand a chance at getting spares somewhat consistently. Bowling scoring is very strange, but basically it heavily punishes leaving an "open" frame, meaning you didn't get a strike or spare. This means that being able to pick up your spares is super important for good scores.

Another thing to consider is that the hand can act like a lever, allowing you to release your thumb first, then use your fingers to add rotation to the ball. If the model had some sort of basic "hand" that essentially has hold of the ball in two locations, that might allow it to add a fair bit of rotation.

Also, did you consider adding oil to the lane? A standard bowling lane will have oil applied to it, with most of it in the first 40 feet and biased toward the center of the lane. Then you could increase the friction between the ball and the surface to compensate.

[comettheburr]

I love how he finds a technique that works perfectly.. and then throws it into the next lane a second later lmao

[j-rus]

Imagine seeing someone do this IRL and losing to them
they just either get a strike or go in the other peoples lane or hits someone
and no matter how good or bad the shot they just fall over

[elijahalexander]

I love how it starts in such an organized pose and then immediately throws itself into the ground

[TheActualAnthonino]

A ragdoll that barely knows the concept of sports, balance, or even breathing is somehow better than me at bowling.

[masonsickler]

I honestly think the most impressive part was him picking up the spare in frame 5

[nj]

The drastic strategy changes when there were only a few pins remaining is a testament to how well you tuned the reward parameters. If the reward for knocking down pins hadn't been tuned effectively, the AI never would've attempted spares, and instead would've just launched the ball down the center of the lane during a split to be rewarded for speed and direction. Well done!

[karakurto]

"I forgot how to walk"
*having the most painful seizure*

[JoshyRB]

I love that the camera still zooms into the lane when they miss, it makes it so funny. It zooms in, and you expect to see the ball majestically appear and destroy those pins, but there’s just nothing.