Tennis ball machines have long been a staple of training tools for tennis players of all skill levels. Problem is, it’s just a robot chucking balls at pre-programmed settings, so it’s never going to feel like you’re playing against a competitive athlete drawing up shots on the fly. The Acemate changes that.
Billed as a “tennis rally robot,” the device is meant to simulate the sequence of back-and-forth shots that happen during tight, closely-fought games. You know, those exchanges that keep the ball in play for extended periods until someone eventually commits a mistake and gives up the point. That means, it doesn’t just chuck the ball at set angles, instead making on-the-fly adjustment based on your last shot to accurately simulate what would happen during an actual match.
The Acemate looks like any tennis ball machine, with a compact body sized to hold a stash of balls and an opening out front for shooting out balls into the air. Unlike traditional ball machines that are stationary, though, it comes with wheels that allow it to move and follow the ball, which it catches on the integrated net and puts back into the pile. Because it’s moving, it’s able to return shots from the exact same spot where you sent the ball, making for significantly more dynamic play that resembles an actual match between human players.
It’s equipped with two 4K cameras out front that give it a clear view of the player at all times, which it feeds to the AI vision system that detects where the ball will go next based on your shot, allowing it to deliver a realistic return shot. According to the outfit, the cameras can capture both depth and speed, enabling precise 3D tracking and real-time shot analysis. The device uses that same AI vision to record every single shot and swing you take, by the way, as well as create performance insights that can help improve your game.
The Acemate can send the ball soaring through the air at speeds of up to 80 mph, all while reaching heights up to eight meters to simulate lobs. The robot itself can move up to five meters per second on its four wheels, too, so it should be able to catch up even to the most unexpected returns. Even better, it uses Mecanum wheels that allow it to move forwards, backwards, diagonally, sideways, and even rotate in place, allowing it to be extremely agile on the court.
Aside from serving as a tennis rally robot, it can also go into a Serve Mode like traditional tennis ball machines. In this setting, it can be set to deliver flat shots, topspins, or slices, depending on what you need to practice at the moment. It also offers recovery drills, lob drills, and more. The device supports gesture control, so you should be able to make adjustments using hand signals, while a companion app (iOS, Android, and watchOS) lets you customize the drills and track your progress.
A Kickstarter campaign is currently running for the Acemate. You can reserve a unit for pledges starting at $1,499.
