Timo Boll – the spin of life

KUKA and Timo Boll have formed a perfect team for six years. Now, in a unique documentary film, the robotics and automation company accompanies the table tennis star on his way to the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. The project shows the journey of an exceptionally talented athlete from his early days in provincial Hessen, Germany, through ups and downs, to becoming a global top athlete.

Timo Boll and KUKA: a special partnership

It all started with a very special duel. Timo Boll, Germany’s most successful table tennis player, faced what is probably the fastest robot in the world – the KR AGILUS from KUKA – in the film “The Duel”. The marketing video was produced for the opening of a KUKA plant in China. In the Middle Kingdom, table tennis is one of the most popular sports and Timo Boll is a celebrated star.

The quick, likeable, successful and hard-working athlete represents top performance and fair play. As a brand ambassador for KUKA, Timo Boll has stood in front of the camera alongside high-precision, resilient and quality-assured German industrial robots many times. As a techie, he is also very interested in robotics.

I’m a technology freak! KUKA robots are fascinating products: fast, agile, precise and reliable, just like a good table tennis player. I’m certainly prepared for a hard-fought match against a KUKA robot.

Timo Boll, European table tennis champion and KUKA brand ambassador in China

Timo Boll: The spin of life – on the way to Tokyo

“The spin of life” is a special film project about an exceptional career: for more than 14 years during his career, Timo Boll ranked among the top ten table tennis players globally, including a lengthy period of time at the top of the list. At 37, he reclaimed the number one ranking, becoming the oldest table tennis player to do so. He has collected over 20 German titles, won World Cups and European Championships, and won medals at the Olympic Games in Beijing, London and Rio. With singles, doubles and team trophies, Timo Boll is a team player to the core. At the age of 39, the table tennis star is still in top form and looking to demonstrate it once again by reaching the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

The history of a special duel

Table tennis star Timo Boll and KUKA have been partners for many years. The partnership drew attention thanks to a very special duel. In the marketing video “The Duel”, which has been viewed over 12 million times, Timo Boll and a KUKA KR AGILUS robot compete against each other on the table tennis table. In the end, the human came out on top. Later on, revenge was taken in a discipline where the robot had the upper hand. Discover earlier films of KUKA and Timo Boll.