Remember the robot? Responds to commands issued on your phone.
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/17 ... pong-robotThat one was successful, they needed $80,000, got over $250,000. They're ready to ship this month, you can still get one for $350.
So what else comes up when you search for "table tennis"? Three more things:
FLEXXBALL:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/18 ... nav_search
If you thought TTX was bad...
Not very ambitious, they're only trying to raise $4800, they've only got $1500 so far, 23 days to go, not really much hope I think. Naah... somewhat lame..
CORKNET TRIVET AND TABLE TENNIS NET:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2061469682/corknet Um, what is this? A part of wedges of cork that convert from some sort of thick coaster for your cooking pots and then converts into a table tennis "net". So you can play table tennis on your dining table. Apparently based in Britain (pledges are in pounds). Small pledges (25 pounds would have gotten you one "net", a pair of paddles and a - yes, one! - ball - probably celluloid). Trying to raise 10,000 pounds, have gotten almost 14,000 (success).
The bats do seem to be 2-color legal..
THE IRON BLADE TABLE TENNIS CLUB:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/16 ... ennis-club"Club" here might have more than one meaning...
What is it? Electromagnetic bats made of iron, made to induce spin on specially coated balls. WHY??? No idea.
They even post a long set of rules for their "club". For example:
Quote:
Games are to 21 points / win by 2:
All games are to 21 points, with each player alternating with 5 serves. First serve is determined by a three hit rally with the ball crossing the net three times. The person winning the point after the three hit rally will be first to serve.
This, of course, after a proper warm up session.
Upon reaching the 20th, or "game" point, the serve will automatically change over to the player with less than 20 pts. He will serve until he either loses the game or ties the game at 20 pts. At that point the serve will alternate every point until a winner is determined by a margin of 2 points.
Sound familiar?
I guess the news that we've switched over to 11 points hasn't reached all corners of the basement as yet (the folks in the lobby here were playing to 21..).
More rules:
Quote:
Matches and the "Scepter" tiebreaker:
An official match will be consist of a best of 5 games to 21 pts as stated above.
BUT if the match reaches a 5th game, and the tiebreak in 5th game goes to 20pts, with the person trailing serving to tie at 20pts, then upon the 20th point that ties the game a new "Scepter" Set will begin.
This will be one 11 point set, that is NOT win by two. This "Scepter" set will have different rules. The RETURN, as with the serve in regular play,.....MUST HIT THE RETURNERS COURT.
This means that the returner must hit his side of the court with the ball as well as the servers side, and vice versa, until the first to 11 pts is reached.
Eventually there may be the standardization of a separate "Scepter" table altogether. These where the tiebreakers can be played in a official capacity. This table most likely will be customized with a red court with white lines. And a matching net, possibly being made of a chain mail, or small chain link type construction.
But any basic or Olympic size ping pong table will suffice for Iron Blade Table Tennis. As participation rises in Iron Blade Table Tennis, the participants will soon learn to perfect service and return techniques. More familiarization with this will to make these "Scepter" rounds fun and interesting.
"Olympic size" tables.. Separate tables for tiebreakers??
This is like TTX gone nuts. I think you'd probably get tendonitis from swinging those "clubs".
Status: I don't think this is going anywhere...
How much do they want to raise?? $500,000.
HUGE pledges, too - starting at $1000, you get ONE racket (think about that for a second...
). 41 days to go to make their target. How much pledged so far?? ZERO.
Ah well.. I was hoping for more cool things, like other robots. I wonder if they archive projects that didn't make their targets. There may indeed have been other cool robots. Those Coconut Paddles might've made a good Kickstarter project, too.
Iskandar
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