Finally an AI-powered Roomba for tennis with Haitham Eletrabi from Tennibot
24 Sep 2024 (2 days ago)
Tennibot's Inspiration and Development
- Haitham Eletrabi, the co-founder and CEO of Tennibot, was inspired to create the robot because he was frustrated with the time-consuming task of picking up tennis balls.
- Eletrabi's initial prototype was a modified RC car, which garnered interest from other tennis players and led him to realize the market potential for such a product.
Tennibot's Technology and Features
- Tennibot uses visual odometry for navigation on the court, tracking the rover's location relative to the court.
- Tennibot has been tested and proven to work on clay courts, hard courts, and grass courts.
- Data collection for Tennibot's AI model involved various locations, times of day, weather conditions, and ball types to ensure robustness.
- Tennibot includes sensors to avoid collisions, but it is recommended to primarily use it on the opposite side of the court during practice.
Tennibot's Market and Expansion
- Tennibot has received interest from both individual consumers and businesses like tennis clubs and academies.
- Tennibot initially focused on picking up tennis balls, but user feedback led to the addition of features like clay court sweeping and player tracking.
- Tennibot is also planning to expand into other racket sports, such as pickleball and padel, due to frequent requests.
- Tennibot secured over 16 patents in various countries, covering the pickup of any round object, not just tennis balls, allowing for broader product development.
- Tennibot is planning to expand its product line to include versions for pickleball and padel.
- The company is also looking to expand into other industries beyond racket sports.
Tennibot's Investors and Mentors
- Helen Greiner, the co-founder of iRobot and inventor of the Roomba, is an investor in Tennibot and has acted as a mentor to the company.
- Haitham Eletrabi believes that without the help of early investors and mentors, his company, Tennibot, would not be where it is today.
Tennibot's Impact on Sports
- Eletrabi states that there is a growing acceptance of robotics and AI, which has led to more openness from investors and partners.
- Eletrabi believes that AI has the potential to impact all sports, not just tennis, due to their increasing popularity.
- Tennis fans now have access to more in-depth data, such as the number of forehands and the player's position on the court.
- The 2023 US Open had record attendance, demonstrating the growing popularity of tennis.
Tennibot's Growth and Company Culture
- Tennibot is expanding its headquarters and hiring more employees to meet the increasing demand for its products.
- The company culture includes playing sports like pickleball and table tennis together outside of work.
- Hiring and growing the company involved a learning process, despite having mentors and investors.
- The company sought employees who were nice, kind, smart, and passionate about the product, whether from a robotics or tennis angle.
- The early team set a positive tone, with everyone being kind, smart, and interested in the work, contributing to a hard-working environment.
- An iterative mindset, involving testing features, collecting data, and customer feedback, helped address complex technological problems.
- The organization operates with a flat structure, encouraging impromptu meetings and communication through platforms like Basecamp.
- The first hire was David, a mechanical engineering student who joined the company early and now leads the mechanical engineering team.
- Another early hire, Ben, joined as an intern and continued working with the company after graduation.
- The team often engages in activities like tennis lessons and socializing, fostering a strong team spirit.
- The company values hiring passionate individuals, even if they are still in school, and combines this with experienced mentors and consultants.
- The flat organizational structure developed organically due to the small team size and the need to control expenses.
- As the company scales, maintaining trust and open communication is seen as key to adapting the structure and ensuring productivity.