It's always nice to have a little help.
A team of students from the University of the Algarve in Portugal designed a projector, called PoolLiveAid, that creates real-time light predictions of billiard shots -- sort of like a "digital cheat code" for pool. The projector hangs above the table and analyzes the position of the billiard ball, then detects lines that correspond to it in relation to the cue, which it shines onto the table.
Ricardo Alves, an electronic engineering student at the university, designed the device with fellow classmate Luís Sousa.
"We developed an algorithm that tracks and analyzes the ball's position," Alves told Mashable. "It detects lines that match up with the cue. The computer's connected to the projector too, so it updates right away."
The pair designed the device as a final project for one of their classes. They'll be presenting it, along with their research, at the WSCG conference in the Czech Republic next month.
Watch the original demonstration video here. Does this sound like something you'd use?
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