Table Tennis Robots - Butterfly Amicus 3000

Buy the Butterfly Amicus 3000 PLUS from megaspin.net

My Amicus 3000 and netting - ready to go to work!

This page has moved to here.

Greg is now running the About.com Table Tennis site, and as such a number of these articles will be transferred over to About.com. Please feel free to join me at About!

Has anybody got any comments/reviews they'd like to make of other robots, such as the Newgy, TTmatic or others, as a comparison? Or have a comment you'd like to add to this page? Email me and I'll add your two cent's worth below.

COMMENTS

9th June 2005

Carles Abulí wrote:

Hi dear Greg's. Please first sorry for my english is not good. (i have a similar capacities in table tennis :o)) My name is Carles, and write you from Spain and i'm interesting in to know if amicus 3000 series with your advance capacities, is a veritable "random player".

It is possible to learn to play well a table tennis? Please you have the complete manual in pdf format? .is for to know the complete posibilities of this robot.I think always is better to play with another friends, but my work hours is very dificult to combine this I send several mail to butterfly and never answer.

Please dear friend, can you help me?. THANK'S for all and your time Greg.

Best regards!!! Carles

Greg replied:

Hi Carles,

The Amicus is not a truly random robot - although it will come fairly close since you can mix up to 4 different speeds, spins, placements, and order of balls - which gives a lot of variety without being truly random.

I only have the printed manual - I don't have an electronic version. I do have a scanner at home which I could use to make .jpg scans of the manual, but I haven't got the scanner hooked up at the moment and I'm not 100% sure it still works. I'll see whether I can get it working over the weekend, if I can I'll scan the pages and email them to you.

I wouldn't recommend a robot for a beginner player - it would be better in my opinion to spend the money on coaching lessons so that you do not accidentally develop bad habits. Once your technique is OK you could then use a robot to practice your strokes.

Regards,

Greg

19th May 2005

Peter Ritmeester wrote:

Hi Greg,

Thinking about buying a TT robot, I read your review with great interest. Very
informative! Though you did not sound very positive for what seems to be a great
machine. Would it be because it still not very realistic, the balls coming from
the same direction (the head that shoots the balls does not move, right?)?

Looking online for similar products, the only real good alternative seems to be
the TTMatic 500-B. Could not find any reviews of that one though. Do you have
any idea how these would compare?

Our table at home is used a lot for just playing, so it is very important the
robot is setup and removed quickly. Is that done in say 30 seconds? And after
removed, can you fold it somehow, so that it does not take much space? Our table
is in the middle of the living room...

Many thanks for answering,
--Peter

Greg replied:

Hi Peter,

Thanks for your comment - don't get me wrong, I'm very happy with my robot overall - it's just that there are a few flaws to be aware of, and for the price of the robot should probably have been fixed.

The head that shoots the ball doesn't move - but I don't find this much of a problem really. The ball flight is fine - it's realistic enough for me. I've read a few comments here and there about the TTMatic - most people seem to think it's a good robot as well, although getting both heads to synchronise well can be a bit fiddly.

The robot can be taken away in a few seconds - it's not connected to the table at all. It's the nets that will take a little more time - they have to be unclamped from the table corners and unlooped from the net. It still wouldn't take more than 30 seconds though.

You can't fold the robot, but as you can see from the photos, it doesn't take much space. The nets fold up no problems into a small area. You would have no problems there.

Regards,

Greg

To which Peter replied:

<snip> One more question: if you put the speed on very low, and the
ball on long, is that a way to simulate high balls and
practice smashing?

<snip of Newsgroup posting of the TTmatic 500 vs the Amicus 3000, summary is the Amicus does not have a true random function, while the TTmatic does, and some other differences in the way that they work...>

And Greg replied:

<snip>

I tried putting the speed on low, and the ball on long - you do get a slow, no spin ball, but it's probably only a couple of feet above the net at most - definitely not the same as a lob. It would still be high enough to practice smashing though.

Looking at the posting about the TTMatic vs the Amicus - the poster is pretty much correct about the random functions of the Amicus - it's not a random all over the table with different spins etc - so if you want something to entertain you by doing that sort of thing, I guess the TTMatic would be better. Personally, I don't need that in a robot, I want to practice specific things that I can set up - so it doesn't really matter to me. I'm sure the TTMatic can do that as well though.

Keep in mind that if the robot really randomises the spin - you'll have a very tough time hitting the ball on the table at all - we normally use the other player to help judge the spin - with the robot you have no cues except for the sound of the motors and the flight of the ball.

Regards,

Greg