Today's robots are more intelligent than ever, learning to respond to their environment and perform a range of tasks autonomously, without human intervention. As such, robots are now entirely commonplace in sectors like manufacturing; the International Federation of Robotics estimated that 1.7 million new robots would be installed in factories around the world by 2020. Then we have the rise of collaborative robots, or cobots, which are explicitly designed to work alongside humans as helpful robotic colleagues. In this way, the future of many industries may mean humans and robots working seamlessly side by side. It's no wonder, then, that robotics is considered a major, transformative technology trend – one that, along with rising automation, will no doubt shape the future of work.

Japanese robotics company Omron and its table-tennis-playing bot are back at CES to serve up loads of fresh new tech. This year, though Omron may have reincarnated its crowd-pleasing table tennis bot, called Forpheus, the company managed to up the ante with a new emotional recognition system that gauges players' frustration level and their skill. In addition to being fun, Omron wants Forpheus to showcase its work in AI, computer vision and robotics. Its system, which watches players closely as they battle the bot in ping pong, has the capability of reading a players' face and even their heart rate and then interpreting that information to make inferences on skill and state-of-mind. Forpheus (pictured above) can reach to a volley using computer vision.

OMRON is best known for its healthcare products like thermometers and blood pressure monitors -- now in the form of a smartwatch, even. But those who have been following our CEATEC coverage over the past five years may remember the company's ambitious exhibit: the Forpheus table tennis robot. Little did I know that I would bump into this old friend here at CES. The machine is now in its fifth generation and packed with some surprising upgrades -- let's just say my parents would be disappointed in me if they were there. Technically speaking, this latest Forpheus is actually an entirely new robot. While previous models tended to reuse a lot of hardware, this new one was apparently built from the ground up just to play ping pong.

I finally realized I could've been a professional ping pong player. I have good reason to believe in my ping pong skills, thanks to Forpheus, a robot I met this week at CES in Las Vegas. Made by Omron, Forpheus first appeared at CES last year to show off its ping pong prowess. It's back this year with an expanded range of movement and enhanced prediction skills. When I tell people I played ping pong with a robot this week, the first thing they ask is: "Did you win?"

LAS VEGAS – The robot called Forpheus does more than play a mean game of table tennis. It can read body language to gauge its opponent's ability, and offer advice and encouragement. "It will try to understand your mood and your playing ability and predict a bit about your next shot," said Keith Kersten of Japan-based Omron Automation, which developed the Forpheus to showcase its technology. "We don't sell ping pong robots but we are using Forpheus to show how technology works with people," said Kersten. Forpheus is among several devices shown at this week's Consumer Electronics Show that highlight how robots can become more like humans by acquiring "emotional intelligence" and empathy. Although this specialization is still emerging, the notion of robotic empathy appeared to be a strong theme at the huge gathering of technology professionals in Las Vegas.

Omron offered an incredible demonstration of its massive'Forpheus' robot, which uses artificial intelligence to help improve your pong skills and setup the perfect volley. Atari also showed off a new coffee table-style Bluetooth version of its classic Pong game, which can be played 1-on-1 or against an AI. Omron offered an incredible demonstration of its massive'Forpheus'robot, which uses artificial intelligence to help improve your pong skills and setup the perfect volley. 'Omron's sensors collect data about the player's facial expressions and physical movements. 'Net advance control technology enables the robotic arms to accurately return the volley.'

Omron Corporation (Headquarters: Kyoto; President & CEO: Yoshihito Yamada) announced that table tennis robot FORPHEUS, which was first created in 2013 as a symbol of Omron's technological expertise and which continues to evolve, was certified as the "first robot table tennis tutor" in the world by Guinness World Records . Omron exhibited FORPHEUS in "CEATEC JAPAN 2015" in October 2015 in order to showcase technology that "brings out people's abilities". FORPHEUS was certified on January 6, 2016 for a Guinness World Record as the "first robot table tennis tutor", and described in the Guinness Book of Records 2017 edition as follows: "In October, 2015, the Japanese company Omron Corporation introduced a table tennis robot with a sensor that measures the position of its opponent and the movement of the ball 80 times per second, can predict the trajectory of the ball and hit the ball back, and project the landing point of the ball". Takumi Nippon Project leader, Vihag Kulshrestha said: "Guinness World Records Japan launched a project called Takumi Nippon in 2014 that has transmitted Japan's wonderful technology to the world through the Guinness World Records. The world record achieved by FORPHEUS, which was developed with the technical capabilities of the Omron Corporation, as the world's "first robot table tennis tutor", is also a record for the Takumi Nippon Project. I am very pleased to be able to convey Japan's wonderful artisanship to people all over the world".

CHIBA – Steps toward developing an artificial intelligence were a central theme at the nation's biggest annual IT and electronics show, and the crowds found no disappointment in Omron Corp.'s table-tennis-playing robot. Now it doesn't just return shots; it adjusts its playing to the skill level of its human opponent and can even serve as a tutor. It uses advanced sensing and control technologies to identify movement and hit the ball. While that basic skill has been demonstrated in the past, it now compares the opponent's moves with those in a data bank to assess the skill level. In a demonstration match, Forpheus was seen sizing up its opponent in the first few rallies and then displaying the human's skill levels on a screen.