This Hacked Bowling Ball Goes Wherever You Want And Will Get Strikes Everytime

Recently, NASA’s former JPL engineer Mark Rober teamed up with ex-toy designer, expert hacker James Bruton to become the world’s best bowlers. But they didn’t do it by practicing to refine their skills, they instead used the help of engineering and science to hack a bowling ball so that it goes wherever they want.

Rober sliced a ball in half and found that the ball was asymmetrically weighted inside, which allows bowlers to make their throws curve as they go down the lane by spinning the ball. With this in mind, the pair went a step further, adding an asymmetrical weight inside it that they could shift remotely from side to side.

They replaced the ball’s guts with a mechanical and electronic mechanism, which is similar to that of many self-balancing toys. However, they also added an important feature, which is a pivoting pendulum weight. It shifts from side to side corresponding to the movement of the bowler, which a wearable motion sensor is responsible for detecting. The result is the ball changing directions dramatically, even several times while it’s rolling down the lane.

Yeah yeah we know, this is cheating, obviously. And neither these creators or you can take this ball to league or professional play. Also, the hacked ball weighs less than a regular one. However, it’s totally legit to bring it to have fun with your friends and family seeing the ball making its move on the lane anyway.