Scientists Create Animated Basketball Avatars That Learn How to Dribble

Avatar basketball players are teaching themselves how to dribble. (Courtesy of Carnegie Mellon University)Animated basketball players, the kind you see when playing games such as NBA 2K, are currently teaching themselves how to dribble thanks to research work at Carnegie Mellon University.

With a lot of practice repetitions—millions upon millions—digital players are learning how to dribble between their legs, dribble behind their backs, do crossover moves, and transition from one skill to another.

The research, pioneered by Carnegie Mellon researchers and DeepMotion, a California-based developer of smart avatars, is based on motion capture data. Avatars are learning by watching videos of real…