Off the Wall: Automated Table Tennis

August 26, 2014

I’ve never been talented enough to play tennis. In fact, last year when my husband and I decided to play a round while on vacation, I rolled my ankle within 20 minutes and ended up with my foot elevated for the rest of the trip. While I may be a tad bit clumsy—give me table tennis and you’ve got yourself a force to be reckoned with. (And yes, I realize how pathetic this sounds.)

While I’ve seen my fair share of table tennis set-ups, I’ve never seen one quite like this one. Lightweight and collapsible, this ping-pong table lent itself well to being integrated into a larger home automation project.  With the press of one simple button, the entire table descends from the ceiling from an automated lift. It can be stopped at whatever height is desired—30-inches from the floor (which is the standard), four feet from the floor for taller players, or even two feet from the floor if the rugrats want to play. Tap another button and the table ascends once again, out of sight to clear the floor until next time.

So I won’t be heading to the US Open anytime soon—I’ll have to settle for tuning in on August 25th when it’s televised. However, an automated ping-pong table may be a much more attainable goal for my future.

This is another testament to how home automation can provide a truly customizable feature to enhance your way of life—whether your dream is a bit more logical, or much more off-the-wall (literally).