Autonomous Tennis Ball Retrieval for Continuous Solo Practice
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Solution Overview
Problem
Players in sports like tennis and badminton face challenges in practicing alone without an opponent and efficiently retrieving multiple balls during gameplay, as manual retrieval is cumbersome and time-consuming.
Innovation Solution
An autonomous tennis assistant system comprising a tennis ball retrieval robot and a base station that uses computer vision and navigation algorithms to autonomously detect and retrieve tennis balls, allowing for efficient collection and potential re-ejection for practice purposes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If manual ball retrieval is used during tennis practice, then players can practice alone, but the time and effort required for ball collection increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables self-service practice by deploying autonomous robots that retrieve balls without human intervention. The first robot autonomously navigates the court, detects balls using sensors, and collects them, while the second robot performs the same function, allowing the player to practice independently without spending time on ball retrieval
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces manual mechanical ball retrieval with automated robotic systems equipped with sensors, microcontrollers, and navigation algorithms. The robots use optical sensors to detect balls and employ automated navigation to transport them, substituting human physical effort with mechanized automation
2Productivity
If multiple tennis balls are used during practice, then players can maintain continuous gameplay, but retrieval of scattered balls becomes cumbersome
Solution Approach 1:
The system introduces intermediary robotic agents that mediate between the scattered balls and the player. The robots act as intermediaries by autonomously navigating to ball locations, detecting them using sensors, and transporting them back to designated areas, thereby eliminating the need for the player to directly retrieve balls
Solution Approach 2:
The robotic system provides self-service ball management by automatically collecting and organizing balls throughout the court. The robots independently navigate, detect, and retrieve balls without requiring player intervention, making ball retrieval operations effortless while maintaining continuous gameplay
Data Source
AI summary
Systems, methods, and computer-readable media are disclosed for autonomous tennis assistant systems. Example methods include determining, by a device, an outer boundary line of a tennis court, generating a digital representation of the tennis court using the outer boundary line, where the digital representation includes at least a portion of an out-of-bounds area adjacent to the outer boundary line, determining a first location of a first tennis ball, and causing a tennis ball retrieval robot to move to the first location to retrieve the first tennis ball, where the tennis ball retrieval robot is wirelessly connected to the device.