This tennis bot won't give you Sampras' speed or Sharapova's looks, but it might make you curse like McEnroe. Boomer, the latest training device for collegiate tennis stars and country club regulars, is an autofeeder that uses a videocam and machine-vision software to respond like a real opponent. Nail a hard shot to the deep left, and Boomer returns weakly to the right. Send something soft down the middle, and it'll fire back a screamer. The $14,450 device can simulate a full match - complete with serves, spins, and lobs - or run players through one of 17 drills. It even talks trash. Double-faults get a "D'oh!" Blown backhands are heckled with "Take a rest!" "It's harder to play against than an actual person," says Kelley Hyndman, a sophomore on the University of Georgia tennis team, "but it's fun."
- Brett Zarda
Boomer
credit Ethan Pines
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