Putting the Bounce Back Into Your Balls

[Tuckerfan]

Tennis balls, that is.

The traditional cry of “new balls please” at tennis courts throughout the country could become a thing of the past thanks to a new invention by a University of Bath student.

Aimée Cubitt, a final year Mechanical Engineering student, has developed a new device which pumps air into tennis balls to extend their useful life and restore the bounce of old balls.

This is useful because tennis balls start to lose their bounce as soon as they are removed from their container as the pressurised air within their rubber core starts to seep out.

Playing with flat balls can increase the likelihood of tennis elbow and causes the ball to behave in a less consistent manner, affecting a player’s game.

In major tournaments, like Wimbledon, umpires need to call for new balls after around every nine games to make sure that the balls stay within the regulations*.

[don_t_ask]

Maybe it works just like these existing chargers. I am sure 3 ball pumps were available years ago for about $10.

[Tuckerfan]

@don't ask

Maybe it works just like these existing chargers. I am sure 3 ball pumps were available years ago for about $10.

Dunno, but those don’t have a cool name like “Pump ‘n’ Bounce.”