HN Theater @HNTheaterMonth

Yeah that one is amazing. Also the auto-correcting basketball backboard that makes your shot always go in: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FycDx69px8U&t=457s

⬐ TimMeade

One of the best self projects i've ever seen. I hope he is being mentoring somewhere to take advantage. This guy could be the next Jony Ive.

But why windows? Realtime OS needed badly.

⬐ ballenf

I assumed it was related to the Kinect usage.

⬐ natch

I was thinking more Woz than Jony but yes very good engineering going on here, for a casual side project.

⬐ randyrand

Kinect V2 only has drivers for windows.

⬐ dkryptr

It seems this thread and all of the comments are a windows-hate circle jerk.

⬐ globular-toast

It only seems that way because of fanboyism. My comment suggesting Linux is currently sitting on -4 points. Windows fanboys feel bad when Windows is questioned. It's not based on logic, it's just a bizarre attachment to the only OS they've ever seriously used.

⬐ ncmncm

That is only because you miss the point.

Windows is not a real-time OS. There is no reasonable expectation for it to perform as one in places where one is required.

In this case, what is required is only a "soft-real-time" OS, which even Linux can manage. But for this sort of project it is more usual to use a microcontroller.

Programming microcontrollers is, incidentally, much more fun than programming a big'n'sloppy desk OS like windows ... or linux.

⬐ globular-toast

Even Linux would be a vast improvement. This guy needs a friend to help him port the code to a better platform.

⬐ ChuckNorris89

He's using python for the Kinect image processing and balistics math so it's easy to implement in windows. If you move to a RTOS you lose these luxuries.

⬐ TimMeade

python available on linux or macos.

⬐ djsumdog

There'd be some advantage if:

* you have Linux Kinix Python libs and drivers.

* You can use a very minimal Linux distro that starts little to nothing else up

It'd probably be better than running on Windows, but still not as nice as running real time, or close to real time (e.g. having a small C, Go or Rust program that runs on a custom Linux image where it runs as init)

⬐ schwap

Yes and...? Neither Linux (normally) or MacOS an RTOS, what would he gain by switching to them?

⬐ donatj

In the case of Linux you could entirely eliminate almost everything else using CPU time such as window management in a way not really practical for Windows.

⬐ ncmncm

Python is also available to run in microcontrollers, RTOS or no OS at all.

⬐ fyp

Another similar project by Mark Rober for darts: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MHTizZ_XcUM

⬐ rajnathani

He mentions it in the video at around the 1:53 mark.

⬐ gpvos

"My head is never gonna be following a ballistic trajectory.. I hope not, at least" - he should have inserted a second shot of his annoyed wife after that.

⬐ iso1631

This should be mandatory viewing for every high school class -- finally an answer to everyone asking "when will I ever need to use a quadratic equation in real life"

⬐ xwdv

This could have some practical use for trash cans so people can just throw away trash from across the room.

⬐ exabrial

Laundry hampers

⬐ Cactus2018

> The Smart Trash Can which moves autonomously to catch your trash picked up an Excellence Award at this years Japan Media Arts Festival.

>12/2/2013 Japan Media Arts Festival

>Minoru Kurata

>Smart Trashbox

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fEC0FVT8wek

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZNWd4FFYDv0

⬐ Kaibeezy

See also https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22898653

Put the robot backboard at one end and the curved one at the other end, hold some sort of tournament ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

⬐ jrockway

I'm impressed at how this guy's channel has taken off. The first version of this (a static backboard optimized to put as many shots into the hoop as possible) was posted here, and he had something like a few hundred subscribers and a few hundred views. That video now has 4M views and he has 82k subscribers. He deserves the subscribers, as the rest of his videos are great, but I'm curious as to which medium got the most viewers. HN? (Seems unlikely to me.) Reddit? Twitter? The Algorithm?

⬐ TechBro8615

I saw his original post on Reddit in some “normie “ subs (NBA?). His channel was quite new at the time. Lots of traffic probably boosted him in the algorithm.

It’s great to see, too, because his content is awesome!

⬐ pimlottc

This is a sweet project, but what's really awesome is how clearly he explains the whole thing, from hardware to software.

I'm also really impressed at the way that he uses the tablet to quickly and interactively generate diagrams in (mostly) real time while speaking. Sure, he could make a "cleaner" animation but doing it this way is just as effective and probably saves a ton of time.

⬐ srean

I would have loved to take a look at the code. I had the same reaction when his previous baseboard project hit HN.

Leaving this other reference https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parallel_manipulator Inverse kinematics of parallel manipulators for the general case can get really hairy

⬐ agustif

A few weeks ago there was a similar project, only that it was more analog as in the guy 3d printed an oval shaped hoop, so at every-angle it would go in, not as techno as this one, but more cool if you ask me

⬐ WrtCdEvrydy

same guy.

⬐ judge2020

Even mentions and showcases the old one within the first few minutes of this video.

⬐ donatj

Couldn’t you start moving to roughly where it needs to be off the initial calculations and correct it over time to make the motion less violent?

⬐ derekp7

What would be cool is to add face recognition so that it would give advantage to specific players. Also variable advantage to adjust to a player's skill level. Now you have basketball with individual player handicap scoring, so players of differing skills can still compete with each other.

⬐ Amorymeltzer

HN discussion of the previous version: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22898653

⬐ roland35

Very cool project! I am impressed by a how fast this was created too!

what a great workshop! And how did he get his hands on that CNC machine? Is it only for personal projects or also for freelancing?

⬐ floatrock

"It was super cheap... it cost like $5 in sheet metal"

Not accounted for: industrial plasma cutter, welder, sheet metal bender, 3D printer, CNC mill to cut ball joints...

⬐ exabrial

When he says something like "600 milliseconds is not a lot of time", what is the limiting factor? Is it the sampling rate of sensor input (video)?

⬐ ncmncm

He explains it right there, only seconds later: after 600 ms, the ball is at the basket, and it is too late to do anything. He has less time than that, because he also has to move the backboard into place, and stop it, because if it were still moving, that would bounce the ball somewhere else.

It would be seriously cool to use the speed of motion of the backboard to get extra control and, e.g., need to move it less.

But that would take a hard real-time system, and be correspondingly more fun.

⬐ gpvos

After each shot you need image recognition to recognize the balls, and you need several shots to get the trajectory. At the other end, you need time to move the board into position.

⬐ econcon

Opencv detection algorithms on the compute power and latency that's available to him.

⬐ pletsch

Assuming it's the time from when he shoots to when it arrives at the backboard

⬐ mthwsjc_

wow. this is amazing. so much work

⬐ aidenn0

I wonder if large amounts of spin will cause it to miss?

[edit]

At very end it says it doesn't account for spin.

⬐ geerlingguy

Detecting spin on the ball would require much better (more, and more consistent through the flight path) lighting and camera resolution, or modified balls (with still better lighting, most likely) with markings that provide enough contrast to be able to calculate spin.

⬐ batesy

This guy is smarter than me.

⬐ benraskin92

Shaq could've used this! Awesome project!

⬐ clairity

ha, just for free throws. all his other shots were basically dunks (except that one lucky three-pointer). he was such a beast.

⬐ ykevinator

Really cool

⬐ kleiba

Ah, being young again and not having family, but spare time instead... Awesome project!

⬐ kleiba

See, I don't really get the downvotes. Here I'm trying to express my admiration for the guy and his project, and at the same time lamenting that in my current life, I don't find the time any more. My life conditions are mostly influenced by having a job and a family which in my case takes up most of my time.

What is there to downvote?

I used to have much more spare time (family, d'uh!) and so had more time to spend on fun project. Don't get me wrong: I wouldn't treat my family for anything in the world but what's wrong with being nostalgic every now and then when you see someone else realizing a cool project like this for which I certainly would not find the time these days?

Was the perception that I was implying that this is a trivial project that anyone could realize, even me, if only had some more time? I can't imagine that, unless the downvoters stopped reading at the three dots - otherwise it would certainly have been clear that I find the project admirable.

So, I don't get it.

I do understand the run-away effect that someone sees a downvoted comment that has, say, 2 downvotes already and then feels the urge to be part of the club and downvote it a third time. I know the temptation.

At least some people express their thoughts in their answer but from reading the replies to my comment, even when someone disagrees what (what they think) I meant, I get the feeling that they wouldn't have downvoted necessarily because they're simply expressing a different viewpoint.

But again, I wasn't talking about other people who might be able to involve their family into their projects. That's completely besides the point. Of course, everyone is different. I was talking about myself. I find it hard to see how my remark could be construed as an alleged statement about life in general. And it wasn't even a negative statement either.

So, before I start repeating myself too much, I sometimes don't get HN'ers. Plus, anonymous downvotes suck. I guess that is a general statement about life.

⬐ obilgic

Not really, seems like he was smart enough to turn what likes doing into his daily job...

⬐ kleiba

Oh, sure. What I meant was more like having the spare time to do cool projects like that myself.

Don't get me wrong, I would have never been able to create something like this, I completely lack the engineering background. But like many of you, too, I'm sure, I've got a backlog of cool ideas for fun projects that I just don't get around doing any more.

But stuff like this hoop is inspiring nevertheless.

⬐ econcon

He has a wife tho

⬐ goldenkey

Same could be said for sickness, poverty, or well, any other forms of time drain. Somehow, someway, many make time to create awesomeness anyway. This makes it sound like a reason so you can resent the kids when they are grown up?

Take a look at Tech Ingredients. He involves his son in all his projects/videos:

https://www.youtube.com/user/TechIngredients

I would say he's a better father than most because of the fun experiments he does with his kids.

⬐ kleiba

Same could be said for sickness, poverty, or well, any other forms of time drain.

Of course but luckily the first two don't apply to me. And that any form of time drain leaves you with less time is kind of tautological.

Take a look at Tech Ingredients. He involves his son in all his projects/videos:

That's good for him. But not everyone is the same. For instance, a father who has three children, say aged, 1, 2, and 3 years old should probably find it more difficult to involve all of them in his hobby projects.

I do agree, though, that as your kids get older and more and more independent, the amounts of free time you have start getting bigger again...

⬐ donquichotte

All videos on this channel are worth watching. Interestingly enough, this one and another of my favourite channels [1] are run by Formlabs employees. It seems like they have some excellent engineers working for them.

[1] https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMf49SMPnhxdLormhEpfyfg

⬐ kharak

This is impressive. I wonder where / when he picked up his curiosity in this kind of stuff.