This Robot Replaces Sparring Partners
|
|
CREDIT: Punchingpro.com / Chris Tressider |
People who box, or practice the martial arts, need the occasional sparring partner. (Professional boxers pay a lot of money to the guy whose job it is to get hit). But inventor Kris Tressider thought there had to be a better way, so he built a robotic partner out of off-the-shelf parts.
Called the Punchingpro, it’s a mechanical set of arms attached to a torso, with a spring-attached head. It uses several cam mechanisms driven by a combination of golf cart wheels (for the shoulders) and windshield wiper motors. The speed, height and reach of the punches can be adjusted, to improve a boxer’s skills. Tressider eventually wants to get enough funding to build and sell the machines at under the $1,000 price point.
Will it replace Freddy Roach? Probably not. But if this can get off the ground it will certainly cut down on the number of sparring partner injuries.
Each weekday on TechNewsDaily, That's Useful! finds practical new gadgets, computing hardware, apps, appliances and other electronics that make sense and simply make life better.
