MIE.16 – Chicago Comets Beep Baseball
Team Members Heading link
- Juan Ramirez
- Austin Sanetra
Project Description Heading link
The game of beep baseball is a challenging, physically demanding, and enjoyable sport designed for athletes who are blind or visually impaired. Beep baseball has increased in popularity over the past decade, spreading across numerous countries including the United States, Germany, France and Italy, growing into what it is today with over 2,600 players competing annually. Whether in the field or batter’s box, athletes use a combination of skill and auditory senses to focus on and locate a beeping ball. The current beep baseball that is used has been around since the 1960’s and is called the Denver Ball. We were contacted by the Chicago Comets, a local beep baseball team interested in a customizable and consistent ball to improve the sport. In discussions with them, we learned the current ball is problematic due to its poor center of gravity, issues with its durability, and the reliability of the electronics. In order to improve the ball, we focused on enhancing its durability by making structural improvements, whereas the ECE.08 team members focused on the electrical upgrades. The previous design attempted to use off the shelf components that would be modified with hand tools. This meant the ball had a hard piece of plastic that would pierce the outer shell of the ball and cause failure. Our approach was to design reusable molds and jigs that could be 3D printed anywhere and produce cost-efficient, soft polymer components resulting in better durability and less chance of failure. We also selected compressible foams that matched the average density of the ball, maintaining the balls balance and stiffness. The ECE.08 team’s design also adds an additional speaker, and USB-C charging port which allows the players to adjust the beep rate, pitch, and sound emitted from the speakers. Overall, the team has arrived at a final design that provides all the functionality and upgrades expected by the target market to improve the overall durability and playability of the beep baseball.