Nissan develops golf ball that automatically finds the hole every time

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For many people the game of golf is a great source of relaxation and entertainment. Here is a little gadget developed by Japanese automaker Nissan: The ProPilot Golf Ball.

As the four-year-old in the video demonstrates, no matter where and how someone putts the ball on the green, it will automatically take control of its own course and go into the hole. What a time to be alive!

When Nissan unveiled the ProPilot Golf Ball on Aug 22, it piqued the interest of many.

“Oh, very interesting.”

“It’s especially good that hitting it with the golf club doesn’t damage the mechanism.”

“This might change golf as we know it.”

“Doesn’t Everybody’s Golf (aka Hot Shots Golf) already have this feature?”

“This is like the AlphaGo of the golf world.”

“I think it would be really relaxing to have the ball always go in no matter where you putt it from.”

“They ripped off Sphero.”

Sphero is a similar high-tech moving ball developed years ago by an American company of the same name. In the following promotional video, a Sphero can also be seen finding its way into the cup of a golf course.

However, Sphero is steered by the user via smartphone. The ProPilot Golf Ball, on the other hand, drives itself. It simply needs to be told to go into the hole, then an external camera locates its position on the green and a route to the hole is constantly updated and uploaded to the ball wirelessly.

Then all it needs to do is drive itself according to the uploaded directions until it reaches its destination.

While its applications for cheating are indeed wonderful, the real reason for this invention is to demonstrate Nissan’s ProPilot 2.0 driver support technology. Included in the upcoming line of Skyline cars, ProPilot 2.0 uses the same system to help drivers reach their destinations using map data, cameras, and radar to navigate both roads and traffic.

Sources: CNET Japan, Hachima Kiko