Robot Throws First Pitch At Phillies Game (VIDEO)

It might not have a future in professional baseball, but the robot that threw out the first pitch at Wednesday's Phillies game gave it a good go.

The robot, developed by engineers at UPenn, took a month and a half to develop, and was slowly built upon from its humble beginnings as a Segway, according to the AP. Engineers Jordan Brindza and Jamie Gewirtz slowly built it up, adding a robotic arm with a pneumatic cylinder, giving the pitch a speed of likely somewhere between 30 and 40 miles an hour.

The bot went to the mound for a test Monday, where everything went according to plan. The robot officially went to the mound Wednesday, to throw out the first pitch of the Phillies' game against the Milwaukee Brewers.

So did it get it over the plate? Find out yourself by watching the video below.

WATCH:

<a href="http://msn.foxsports.com/video?vid=d2e25ed6-7eea-424d-a34a-006df4b1b297" target="_new" title="">Robot throws first pitch</a>

Comments

[dolphi2864]

03:22 PM on 04/21/2011

why didn't they just use a pitching machine, It would had made it over the plate..... Don't these nerds know that they do make pitching machines?

[Paul The Octopus]

03:17 PM on 04/21/2011

This robot is totally lame!

[OutAtFirst]

03:09 PM on 04/21/2011

Now that's innovation for you, almost 40 years after you could get the same thing in a batting cage down at the miniature golf course.

[tbwest84]

02:41 PM on 04/21/2011

Throws like Obama , by the way where is he campaning today. I can't listen to it anymore
just shut up.

[Mondayboy]

01:14 PM on 04/21/2011

Major fail.

[Thunder Chicken]

12:26 PM on 04/21/2011

Juuuuust a bit outside, he tried the corner and missed...

[floodmfx]

12:20 PM on 04/21/2011

Wow - the robot didn't even get it over the plate.
Pathetic.

Just when I was getting worried about terminator robotic pitchers -
I see that robot devlopment is still very much in the lame stage.

[JimR]

11:09 AM on 04/21/2011

Theo Epstein has paid the UPenn engineers $51 million for the right to negotiate with the robot.

[Seafarer61]

04:12 AM on 04/21/2011

When a robot throws with more testosterone than your President, that's bad.

[jl4141]

11:39 AM on 04/21/2011

You might also be influenced by the lack of mom jeans on the robot.

[GonzoLoungeLizard]

10:25 PM on 04/20/2011

The Phanatic should have been out there trying to hit the pitch.

[imaxfli]

07:29 PM on 04/20/2011

How freaking lame was that!!!!

[westphilly726]

06:57 PM on 04/20/2011

We may have to substitute Halliday with the robot.