Here’s one ball you won’t have trouble playing keepy-uppy with – because it can fly. HoverBall’s unusual talent comes courtesy of a 90mm-wide quadcopter inside, which enables it to fly for up to five minutes at a time.
Developed by the University of Tokyo’s Jen Rekimoto, the ball is currently controlled remotely, but in the future could be programmed to follow a particular path or possibly even react contextually to its surroundings. The idea behind it, meanwhile, is to “democratise” ball-based sports by giving weaker players an advantage. It does need to be toughened up though: it’s currently not solidly-built enough to withstand the sort of kicking it might receive during a football match.
