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The Cue-tip View

 A camera mounted on a cue stick.
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In short, a camera mounted on a pool cue so you could see the english/point of impact on the cue ball. Additionally records the cue-ball's initial trajectory. Used for instructional videos, and/or recording yourself to see what your own stroke looks like.

The camera arm would have to be around the middle of the stick to avoid ramming into your bridge-hand. A convenient feature would be a swivel mount on the camera arm with a weight at the bottom of the camera so any orientation above the table would result in a shot with horizon parallel to the table.

The product as marketed would most likely be the arm and mounting bracket, packaged with an X10 camera (small, light-weight, and wireless.) <edit - thanks World> The highest-end model comes with an LCD screen on the back of the camera. </etW>

—contracts, Aug 31 2004

The Cue-tip View (tm) http://www.geocitie...matthew/poolcam.htm
A better illustration. [contracts, Oct 04 2004]

Lighted Ear Wax Remover http://www.dreampro...tails.cfm?item=1147
For [normzone]. Oddly enough, there *is* a consumer market for products that let you see in someone's ear. [jutta, Feb 11 2005]

Teensy weesy cameras http://www.spyshop....roducts/hiddcam.htm
Low quality output, but if they can make wireless cameras *this* small... [wagster, Feb 11 2005]

Cricket Stump Camera http://www.pcquest....icket/103030407.asp
If it goes in a cricket stump, it'll go in a pool cue. [wagster, Feb 11 2005]

Laser Pool Balls Laser_20Pool_20Balls
Of the two, this strikes me as a more useful impractical billiards idea. [Soterios, Mar 11 2005]

In ball telemetry. In_20Ball_20Telemetry
Shameless plug [DenholmRicshaw, Mar 13 2005]

[link]






       Quite a diagram. Not sure I see what it indicates but it looks important.
—bristolz, Aug 31 2004
   

       I put something together that will hopefully make the ascii crap more readily identifiable :-) [link].
—contracts, Aug 31 2004
   

       Now that's an improvement. Is the piece on the back a screen?
—Worldgineer, Aug 31 2004
   

       That's actually the transmitter (RF, I think) on the X10 Camera . . . but hell, a small LCD screen would be even better. Then I wouldn't get neck-cramps . . .
—contracts, Aug 31 2004
   

       Plus that fixes the only negative I see - seeing the ball clearly.
—Worldgineer, Aug 31 2004
   

       I really like this idea. Too bad the camera can't fit in the cue itself? Clear tip, fiber-optic cable to a chip that transmits to a more bulky devise a few feet away can't work? Or a wire out the back of the cue to a pocket size device clipped to the player's belt? That'd be a great replay view for some pool tournaments.
—godnine, Dec 20 2004
   

       Disappointed that this device won't allow me to look inside my own ear......
—normzone, Dec 20 2004
   

       [godnine] - I was going to say something similar, except that this could probably be achieved. I was thinking of a ring shaped tip with a 3mm hole in the centre (this would admittedly change the cue's performance, if only slightly) and one of those tiny pencil-cameras they put on F1 cars. Drop the camera into the fat end of the cue and run fibre optic to the tip, put a miniature short-range RF transmitter in as well as 2 x AA batteries and that should do the job. A little pricey, but broadcasters happily fork out for similar systems to do the "camera in the stump" trick.
—wagster, Feb 11 2005
   

       [wagster], [godnine]; That'd be great for pro and tournament players with great follow-through, but I would hate to see your average every-day player wield one. I think I'd get sea-sick watching.
—contracts, Mar 10 2005
   

       At least you'd get some video evidence in the event of a cue fight.
—wagster, Mar 10 2005
   

       I don't see how this camera could help, especially in instructional videos. Won't you just get a picture of the que ball getting closer and then rapidly going away? You won’t get any sense of what’s on the table, or trajectory of the cue, or anything that is important in playing pool.
—brodie, Mar 11 2005
   

       It wouldn't 'help'. It would just be cool.
—wagster, Mar 11 2005
   

       Primarily it would be useful for a slow-motion shot showing the exact point at which the cue tip struck the cueball, and, with appropriate follow-through, will show the contact point of the cueball on the object ball.
—contracts, Mar 11 2005
   

       It wouldn't be hard to stick a camera into the cue itself. I'll do some sketches, but you'd put the camera about an inch into the tip, put a transparent yet grippy tip on, and a wireless output. Simple as pi.
—consadine, May 19 2006
   
      
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