A ball-throwing machine is disclosed that includes one or more launch wheels configured to impart motion to one or more balls, a frame attached to the one or more launch wheels, and a control circuit configured to control the one or more launch wheels. The control circuit includes a processor, non-transitory, computer-readable medium having logic stored thereon, and one or more operational sensors, where the one or more operational sensors are configured to obtain data pertaining to operation of the ball-throwing machine including a launch of a first ball of the one or more balls. In some instances, imparting motion to the one or more balls includes rotating the one or more launch wheels to cause delivery of the one or more balls to a player, wherein the one or more balls are one or more soccer balls.

A computerized method for determining an operability status of a ball-throwing machine is disclosed. The computerized method includes operations of obtaining data from operational sensors of the ball-throwing machine collected during operation thereof, and determining the operability status of the ball-throwing machine from the collected data. The operational sensors may be disposed on the ball-throwing machine. Operation of the ball-throwing machine includes performance of a series of ball-launch sequences resulting in launching a series of balls according to a training program. The ball-throwing machine may include one or more launch wheels configured to launch one or more balls by imparting motion thereto, a frame to which the one or more launch wheels are coupled, and a control circuit configured to control the one or more launch wheels and including a processor.

A ball-throwing machine is disclosed that includes one or more launch wheels configured to impart motion to one or more balls, a frame to which the one or more launch wheels couple, wherein a staging area is formed within the frame adjacent the one or more launch wheels, a ball-sensor, and a control circuit configured to control the one or more launch wheels. The control circuit includes a processor, and non-transitory, computer-readable medium having logic stored thereon that, when executed by the processor, cause performance of operations including: receiving ball-sensor data from the ball-sensor, and determining whether a ball is present within the staging area based on the ball-sensor data. In some instances, the ball-sensor is an optical sensor configured to project a light signal into the staging area and detect a reflected light signal when the ball is present within the staging area.

A ball-throwing machine is disclosed that includes one or more launch wheels configured to impart motion to one or more balls, a wheel motor coupled to each of the one or more launch wheels, a first encoder coupled to a first wheel motor coupled to a first launch wheel, a frame attached to the one or more launch wheels, and a control circuit configured to control the one or more launch wheels. In some instances, the control circuit includes a processor, and non-transitory, computer-readable medium having logic stored thereon, wherein the logic, upon execution by the processor, is configured to cause performance of operations including: receiving wheel motor data from the first encoder, wherein the wheel motor data includes a log of revolutions per minute of the first wheel motor, and detect whether a first ball was launched based on a variation in the wheel motor data.

A computerized method for determining an operability status of a ball-throwing machine is disclosed. The method includes operations of obtaining sensor data collected by a sensor during deployment of the ball-throwing machine to perform operations according to a training program, wherein the sensor is disposed on the ball-throwing machine, deploying a trained machine learning model on the sensor data resulting in a classification of a current operability status of the ball-throwing machine or a prediction of a future operability status of the ball-throwing machine, and generating an alert when the classification indicates that the ball-throwing machine is operating abnormally or the prediction indicates the ball-throwing machine is predicted to operate abnormally. The sensor data includes any of audio data collected by a microphone, vibration data collected by an accelerometer, ball-presence data collected by a ball-sensor, temperature data collected by a temperature sensor, or current data collected by a current sensor.

The present invention provides a screen baseball system including a pitching machine that shoots a baseball, a screen, having a screen hole through which the baseball passes, and a screen shutter including a safety screen configured to close the screen hole. The present invention can fundamentally prevent a safety incident from occurring during a screen baseball game.

A machine and method for receiving and launching an oval football. The machine includes a football catch area, a motorized belt to orient the football and motorized wheels to launch the football. The user catching the football throws it back to the machine. The machine automatically orients the football and launches it back to the user catching the football. The machine provides the user a consistent timing pause between receiving the football and launching of the football.

A training device for ball sports comprises a launching structure comprising an aperture sized and shaped to allow balls to pass linearly through the aperture along the central axis of the aperture, and a launching means configured to contact a ball within the aperture at a plurality of contact locations spaced around the surface of the ball, and to drive the ball through the aperture, and; a supporting means configured to support the launching structure above a surface; the launching structure and supporting means configured such that in use the launching structure can be rotated about the central axis to alter the position of the contact locations.

A smart ball-machine uses artificial intelligence to train a player or to play with a player. For example, the ball-machine can adjust the tennis ball speed, topspin, bounce according to the player's successful ball return rate. The ball-machine can be preconfigured with a profile of a player. For example, the ball-machine may download a complete profile of a tennis player from a game recording, or may download a file with a customized profile of a player to train a player using the ball-machine. The ball-machine is equipped with a plurality of wheels, motors, and shafts to provide a fully customizable launch of one or more balls. For example, the ball can be launched from the machine from one side of a tennis court to another side of a tennis court with a variety of speeds, trajectories, topspin, bounce etc.

Embodiments of the present invention are directed to devices, systems, and methods for implementing drills and providing coaching instructions to users. Embodiments may load a drill, measure values obtained from one or more sensors installed on a player's tennis racket and/or worn on the player's body, and use those values to detect various parameters, such as the physical impact of a ball at the player's racket. Embodiments may then output a coaching instruction to the user. Embodiments may also include adding customized coaching instructions to a drill.