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Spherical Billiards

VR Game Simulating Spherical BilliardsTable
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This game can currently only be implemented in an immersive Virtual Reality Environment. (It is essential that the players be able to walk around the table).

The "Table" is a sphere with the appropriate number of holes and floats in the air. The game simulates the attraction of the balls to the table (same as gravity on Earth), the coefficients of static and dynamic fraction for billiard balls on felt, etc. The cue is a 6 degree of freedom tactile feedback device that simulates the actual feel of hitting the balls.

The rules are roughly the same as the actual game. Since there are no corners to bounce off of, the balls must circle the table until they either hit other balls, end up in holes, etc.

This game can also be used to teach spherical geometry concepts to lazy math students...

cowtamer, Jul 04 2008

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       You could even add a variety of shapes. Why not try playing on a torus, or a moebius strip?
Bad Jim, Jul 04 2008
  

       Green ball, great circle route, Nor' by nor' west pocket.
AbsintheWithoutLeave, Jul 04 2008
  

       I like the torus idea. I think Moebius strip is much more suited to virtual mini-golf (which might be a way better idea than this one...)
cowtamer, Jul 05 2008
  

       I'd play the actual thing.
ilSilvano, Mar 04 2010
  

       Use a spare rocky planet, giant balls made from captured asteroids landed on the planet surface, the only problem is what to use for the cues. Atomic explosion rockets fired by remote control?
pocmloc, Mar 04 2010
  

       This could be implemented using a magnetic sphere and ferrous balls. Preferably in a zero gravity environment.
BunsenHoneydew, Mar 21 2010
  

       Strictly, pool on a 2D surface that is curved in 3D. The trick shots you could pull with the toroidal version attract me.
BunsenHoneydew, Mar 21 2010
  

       iron core balls and monopole motor points which act as both sensors, grip and motion-assist, controlled by software to compensate for gravity and lack-thereof... wouldn't be a totally natural shot, but it would be playable and look pretty awesome. But sadly you wouldn't be able to see any shot that went over the horizon.
FlyingToaster, Mar 21 2010
  

       //This could be implemented using a magnetic sphere and ferrous balls. Preferably in a zero gravity environment.//   

       [BunsenHoneydew] and [FlyingToaster], I see a problem with the magnetic sphere and ferrous ball method, which is that the magnetic force is going to be greater than that of gravity pulling the balls against the table and seems like it would cause too much increase in the normal force (more friction) so the balls wouldn't roll the same as the balls on a traditional pool table. Is that part of the idea, or would we need an alternative if we were to construct the table in reality (as opposed to the original virtual reality)?
BakedRiemannZeta, Mar 22 2010
  

       technically I covered my ass by saying "wouldn't be a totally natural shot".
FlyingToaster, Mar 22 2010
  

       So have we done 3D billiards?
pocmloc, Mar 22 2010
  

       I'm not sure: have you checked in the sport:billiards:* categories ?
FlyingToaster, Mar 23 2010
  

       No of course I didn't check, otherwise I would have found it, and not embarearsed myself by asking
pocmloc, Mar 23 2010
  

       no you magnetize the sphere, that way the balls dont attract each other. alternatively you could play with the balls on the outside of the sphere in zero G. maybe you should make a web game of it
Arcanus, Mar 26 2010
  

       This wouldn't work in zero-G unless you found some way to attract the balls to the sphere.
DrWorm, Mar 26 2010
  
      
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