<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

<p>The spin of the ball plays a crucial role in table tennis tactics. However, it has rarely been measured and reported for the broadcast audience to better understand table tennis matches. This paper introduces a system designed to measure the spin of a table tennis ball without using electrically synchronized shutters or high-speed cameras. The system employs multiple unsynchronized cameras to detect the logos printed on the ball and estimates its three-dimensional translational motion to determine the spin rate (rotational velocity expressed in the revolutions per unit time) and spin axis (imaginary line around which the ball rotates). An experimental analysis indicated median errors of 0.78 rps and 12.5° in spin rate and axis, respectively. Additionally, the system exhibited sufficient resolution to analyze the spin rate and axis of a service ball in table tennis, distinguishing between spin axes that differ by 30° with 95.8% confidence. The developed system was used in the Japanese T-League to report the spin of several services after the live streaming of matches. The developed system successfully measured the spins of 92.1% of the served balls, confirming that the system has sufficient capability to feedback spin data immediately after a match.</p>
</abstract>

The spin of the ball plays a crucial role in table tennis tactics. However, it has rarely been measured and reported for the broadcast audience to better understand table tennis matches. This paper introduces a system designed to measure the spin of a table tennis ball without using electrically synchronized shutters or high-speed cameras. The system employs multiple unsynchronized cameras to detect the logos printed on the ball and estimates its three-dimensional translational motion to determine the spin rate (rotational velocity expressed in the revolutions per unit time) and spin axis (imaginary line around which the ball rotates). An experimental analysis indicated median errors of 0.78 rps and 12.5° in spin rate and axis, respectively. Additionally, the system exhibited sufficient resolution to analyze the spin rate and axis of a service ball in table tennis, distinguishing between spin axes that differ by 30° with 95.8% confidence. The developed system was used in the Japanese T-League to report the spin of several services after the live streaming of matches. The developed system successfully measured the spins of 92.1% of the served balls, confirming that the system has sufficient capability to feedback spin data immediately after a match.

Spin measurement system for table tennis balls based on asynchronous non-high-speed cameras

Department of Sports and Health, Faculty of Human Health Sciences

International Journal of Computer Science in Sport

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

The spin of the ball plays a crucial role in table tennis tactics. However, it has rarely been measured and reported for the broadcast audience to better...

Spin measurement system for table tennis balls based on asynchronous non-high-speed cameras

Published Online: Mar 09, 2024

Page range: 37 - 53

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/ijcss-2024-0003

Keywords
TABLE TENNIS, BALL SPIN, TRAJECTORY, COMPUTER VISION, UNSYNCHRONIZED CAMERA

© 2024 Sho Tamaki et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Spin measurement system for table tennis balls based on asynchronous non-high-speed cameras

Published Online: Mar 09, 2024

Page range: 37 - 53

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/ijcss-2024-0003

KeywordsTABLE TENNIS, BALL SPIN, TRAJECTORY, COMPUTER VISION, UNSYNCHRONIZED CAMERA

© 2024 Sho Tamaki et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Keywords
TABLE TENNIS, BALL SPIN, TRAJECTORY, COMPUTER VISION, UNSYNCHRONIZED CAMERA