The Baseball-Robot All-Star Team

Earlier this week, reality imitated SuperBaseball 2020, as a robot threw kayoed the ceremonial first pitch of a Big league Baseball.

The PhillieBot, which is variety of like a cross between a Segway and a Wham-O Arctic Zone Trac-Ball, was improved by the University of Keystone State's School of Engineering and Applied Science. It opened upfield Wednesday's Phillies-Brewers pun by one-hopping a first-pitch changeup to the Phillie Phanatic.

Even though it's the first robot to (sort of) delivery at the major-league level, PhillieBot isn't the first real-life baseball robot in existence. Far from information technology. In fact, in that respect are adequate baseball game-playacting robots to field a loaded opening nine, although the overall lineup is earnestly clogged at the starting pitcher position.

Simply pitching wins championships.

Ladies and gentlemen, your automaton baseball starting lineup:

1. Best Hitter: Batting Robot, Ishikawa Komuro Laboratory

Homebot bottom flat-kayoed rake, and information technology's a ripe scene for the three-hole or the cleanup smirch spot ascribable its impressive clobber command. It hits solid line drives up the middle with optical maser-like precision, but can as wel abstract pop-ups into the outfield in sac-fly situations. Would be a great leadoff hitter if IT could run at all.

2. Best Hitting Mechanics: Robocross Batting Robot

The foremost mechanism of any robotic striker, but this robot doesn't conform to through sufficient on its swing to be a real power threat. Information technology's an impressive impinging hitter, but we're not sure if it can reach the jump from aluminum to wooden bats. Good for pinch-hitting situations where you need to move runners on or make a sacrifice bunt.

3. Top-quality All-Around Game: King Kizer

All but a legitimate 5-tool terror. Atomic number 2 catches (with two hands, kids… great fundamentals). He throws. He hits (with the weirdest batten stance this slope of Kevin Youkilis). Helium has great instincts along the basepaths. And he can run a trifle, too (or leastways shuffle… over again with the space-mechanics).

4. Best Pitch Mechanism: Sony Qrio

As far as we know, Sony Qrio is the only robot that takes signs from the catcher, and his Paul Richard Evelyn Byrd-ilk windup provides a nice visual anachronism. A robot with an old-timey delivery? More of that, please, scientists.

5. 'Roid-Ragingest Robot: Robosapien

For a golem with absolutely no situational-hitting or autonomic fielding skills, Robosapien sure talks a distribute of smack. He lets out a DuffMan like "Ohio yeah" after whiffing along pitch after pitch, yells barbs at the pitcher after every lame attempt to make tangency, and goes into a full-winded steroids-induced philippic after striking dead. He lacks somebody-awareness, but he loves to bid the game.

6. Best Submarine-Style Pitcher: Pitching Automaton, Ishikawa Komuro Laboratory

Although it gets lit up regularly by its Batting Golem rival at Ishikawa Komuro Laboratory, this lurch robot offers a different look out of the detention centre thanks to its submarine/throw delivery. It's like a robotic Kent Tekulve, minus the awesome glasses and uniform.

7. Worst Pitcher (Robot T-Lucille Ball Division): Fisher-Price ESPN Better Dinge Baseball

We're loosely forgiving when it comes to evaluating robotic pitchers, only when you get knocked around the ballpark by a immature, it's time to get back and hone your skills in the lab. Do on, Fisher-Price ESPN Better Batter Baseball game. You're more like a robotic paunch-itcher.

8. Most Improved Slugger Over the Course of 2 Minutes: Humanoid Robot at Korean Golem Festival

Given its proficiency at hitting a testis away of a short-hop, this batten robot might embody fortunate pursing a career in cricket. Nevertheless, information technology goes from picking ahead a bat first (at around the 2 minute mark) to decreasing low afterwards swinging (at the 2:40 mark) to rapping singles and throwing the bat down in "this is too easy" disgust (around the 3 narrow mark). Fast on the uptake, this one and only.

9. Most Underrated Robot: PhillieBot

Despite short-arming its throw in the spotlight, getting booed by the Philly crowd, and getting the played-off-by-keyboard-cat treatment, PhillieBot can supposedly throw a Lot harder than it did during its ceremonial first-pitch moment. The robot has a flexible "wrist" and "limbs," which means it has a lot more in its repertory than precisely straight fastballs. IT had a shaky original appearance, but the PhillieBot has serious upside. And it's lucky, too: the Phillies rallied for a 4-3 win following its very short outing.