ECE.08 – Beep Baseball

• Tim Fox
• Ryan Maharaj
• Mervis Santiago
• Steven Trieu

The sport “beep baseball” has been played by visually impaired athletes since the 1960s and has had over 200 teams since its inception, with 33 teams still playing today. The sport requires a softball that emits a beeping tone which can be heard by players on the field in order to locate the ball. The beep baseballs used today are very similar structurally and electronically to the design from 60 years ago; they are not very reliable because the speaker and electronics are easily damaged by impact with a bat. These balls also have a poor center of gravity, which can cause the ball to bounce or roll abnormally during play. We have improved the reliability and playability of the ball by making significant structural and electronic upgrades. Working with MIE team 16, we will provide a ball that is much more durable than the current design using various materials to protect the electronics and be of a more accurate weight. All electronics (batteries, circuits, speakers) have been moved into an “inner-ball” in the center of the softball, which improves impact protection. Our battery configuration distributes weight as evenly as possible on three axes. The new design adds an additional speaker, so that two speakers beep from opposite poles of the inner-ball. This beeping is now generated by a microcontroller which grants players their request for adjustable beep rate, pitch, and volume. Lastly, we use parts that are affordable and widely available, which allows for easy, low-volume production.