Power play: How this smart table is changing the ping-pong game

Here at Domo, we’re all about finding ways to make the way you do things better, faster, and smarter. That’s exactly why designer Thomas Mayer’s “smart table” caught our eye.

What’s a smart table? Well in this case, it’s a data-driven table tennis machine that’s changed the game of…well, the game. By collecting ping-pong player data and projecting it onto a tabletop interface, Mayer proves that real-time data can help you optimize your performance—almost immediately.

The table is designed “to help players up their game,” and it does so by collecting data during play. The “smart table” tracks each shot you take and and uses that info to create a custom player profile. From there, training exercises teach you how to play like a pro, and ball tracking identifies patterns in your opponent’s game so you can exploit their weakness.

“The basic idea of my bachelor thesis,” Mayer explains, “was to track the ping pong ball in realtime to create data visualizations for trainers and players. After a few weeks of working I started developing a projected mapped interface for the ping pong table to show the collected data. By projecting game obstacles on the surface I figured out that I can change the game play totally. “

And change the game he did. Check out what else the world’s smartest ping pong table can do:

TableTennisTrainer3000 from thomas mayer on Vimeo.

Turns out, analytics isn’t just for the data dweebs. Check out our post outlining the top 10 pro sports teams embracing analytics to up their game, too.