Imagine a world where video games could come to life. You could be throwing barrels with Donkey Kong one minute and driving go-carts with Mario and Luigi the next. Sadly, most video games will forever remain fantasy. But, if you are an avid Pong fan, your dream has become reality. A group of friends has turned their love of the video game into a physical, mechanical game table that anyone can play.
According to Popular Mechanics: "The project was spearheaded by and a crew of friends who built the table from scratch and documented the whole build in a fantastic but in-depth video on YouTube. Instead of batting around an actual, freely-moving physical object, the table just maps digitally simulated ball and paddle movements by using a bunch of machinery hidden under the table's surface. The paddles themselves are move by some repurposed hard drives turned into controller-dials.
The result is a one-of-a-kind game that looks sort of like air hockey, but plays like Pong. Perdomo says on YouTube that he is looking for a hardware partner to "make it a reality," which presumably means making more of these lovely tables."
Alexis Gajewski has over 15 years of experience in the maintenance, reliability, operations, and manufacturing space. She joined Plant Services in 2008 and works to bring readers the news, insight, and information they need to make the right decisions for their plants. Alexis also authors “The Lighter Side of Manufacturing,” a blog that highlights the fun and innovative advances in the industrial sector.
