Badminton players should be quivering in their court shoes. A racket wielding robot designed to help human players perfect their game has been perfecting its shuttlecock-smashing skills.

The badminton bot has a fixed base and a robotic arm that holds a racket. It uses a motion capture camera and some reflective tape on the shuttlecock to work out where to swing.

It’s developed a bit of subtlety to its game too and is able to play skilful shots like the spin net shot, which is a light hit …