| Pinball is fast-paced arcade-style game of which the origins date back hundreds of years. Game playing robots exist for billiards, foosball, and soccer and each have their own unique challenges. The speed that balls move in pinball machines requires that players have quick reactions.;We created a framework for Artificial Intelligence research using a Lord of the Rings pinball machine. Communication with the pinball machine is accomplished through an interface implemented in pinball games created with the University of South California's pinball controller. The framework is built around a real-time vision system for ball detection that uses a physics simulator to filter results. A network multi-player pinball protocol was created which opens new directions for creating new pinball games. To test the framework we recorded how long players can keep a single ball in play. This is the first attempt at building a high-performance pinball-playing robot. |
