The original self bouncing ball detected impact (with the floor) and compressed the air in the ball to make it bounce. The air came from a small piston inside the ball, which displaced the air from inside the cylinder at the right time. So the air in the cylinder was decompressed at the same time the air in the ball was compressed.

The new bouncing ball has a multi-chambered construction, so that different sections of the ball can be selectively compressed upon impact.

The ball is transparent, and has infra red receivers.

The remote control transmitter has two functions:
1. The rather obvious function of controlling direction and bounce power.
2. The reference for level and direction (The equipment inside the ball will accelerate downwards at the same rate as the rest of the ball, and cannot know where 'down' is).

If 'forwards' is pressed, the ball knows where the horizon is (approximately in line with the transmitter), and the direction of forward (away from the transmitter).

Then, when the ball strikes the floor, the segment that is nearer the transmitter, but also striking the floor, is compressed a little more than the rest.

This will cause the ball to favour a bounce in the direction away from the transmitter.

Left, right, backwards, and varing degrees of direction could all be commanded, and there is no change in hand when the ball comes to you.

I have an idea that it might be possible to construct a very large ball, and get inside. A gymbol would be needed. The control could be moved inside, but then a remote reference point would be required.

A large ball might bounce much more slowly, and the pressure cycle would be lower.
-- Ling, Jun 03 2005

Self bouncing ball Self_20bouncing_20ball
The original, old fashioned, has been, antique version [Ling, Jun 03 2005]

Happy Fun Ball http://www.faqs.org...ials/section-1.html
[waugsqueke, Jun 04 2005]

//If 'forwards' is pressed, the ball knows where the horizon is (approximately in line with the transmitter),// No. The ball has no sense of horizontal until it hits the ground--then it has a down direction and can extrapolate the horizon.

// and the direction of forward (away from the transmitter).// Yes. Assuming the ball has a direction-finding receiver, which will add cost.
-- baconbrain, Jun 03 2005


I don't think that I made the infra red system clear enough. It was mentioned, but I didn't stress that the remote control is line of sight. If the infra red receivers in the ball are pointing in different directions, then the one that is receiving the signal at the highest level is the one that is pointing horizontally to the transmitter.
-- Ling, Jun 03 2005


No, you were clear enough in your design description. But you cannot derive a two-dimensional horizon from a one-dimensional point. Your receptor cell will tell you which point of the ball is closest to the transmitter, yes, and therefore be able to decide which is furthest away. This gives you a linear axis through the center of the ball, so to speak, but the ball is free to rotate around that axis, so to speak, and may be doing so in reality. You need a third point on the surface of the ball to describe a plane such as the horizon. Two transmitters would work, if you held one in each hand, at arms length.

Have you considered that the ball will be rotating at random?
-- baconbrain, Jun 03 2005


Agreed, but the part of the ball that is compressed more need not be a single point.
It could be a circlular shape which doesn't quite cut the ball in half, vertically.
In fact, the complete half of the ball which is nearest the transmitter could be compressed more.
-- Ling, Jun 03 2005


I'm not sure what you are agreeing to. I still say the ball will not know which way is down until it touches the ground. However, you are still not lost.
Let us assume the ball is covered with IR receptor cells, each of which has control over one of the pressure chambers. When the light is set for "go away" the receptors that can sense the control light illuminating them (one hemisphere of the ball) shift their valves to "pressurize". No matter how the ball rotates, the illuminated valves are instantly switched to the desired state. When the ball hits the ground, all the pressure chambers on the side closest to the transmitter are therefore set to extra-firm, and the ball bounces away.
This is overlaid by your "pressurize when hit" pattern that powers the self-bouncing ball.
-- baconbrain, Jun 03 2005


Do not taunt Happy Fun Ball.
-- justaguy, Jun 03 2005


LOL, best SNL commercial ever. How would you taunt a ball anyway? I love it.

Oh, and this would work somehow, just keep everything relative to the transmitter. [+]
-- daseva, Jun 03 2005


//I'm not sure what you are agreeing to//
Everything: I aim to please.

Actually, Going forwards and backwards should be OK, but how about left/right? You've got me worried, now.

Happy Fun Ball sounds better than Self Bouncing Ball 2. Title changed, thank you, justaguy.
-- Ling, Jun 04 2005


Changed the title it has...

Good change it was...
-- daseva, Jun 04 2005


Left/right? Let's see . . . lay in a 'pressurize all over, ready left' command using the light. On contact with the floor, there are two points--first-floor-contact and closest-to-light--which can be used to define a circle, and therefore hemispheres, on the ball. From the operator's point of view these will be left and right. The pressure cells in the right hemisphere's portion of the contact patch will reduce pressure, those in the left will increase pressure, and the ball will bounce left.
-- baconbrain, Jun 04 2005



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