Pongbot Unveils Aura: AI Training Robot Built for Pickleball, Tennis, and Padel
Sports technology has taken another leap forward. Pongbot, the company that made waves with its Kickstarter success back in 2024, has now introduced Aura—an AI-powered training robot designed to serve players across tennis, pickleball, and padel.
Aura’s clever design means no fiddly attachments or manual adjustments. Its patented wheel system automatically adapts to ball sizes ranging from 40mm to 80mm, allowing seamless transitions between sports without compromising performance. Future over-the-air updates promise to expand its training repertoire even further.
Coaching That Learns With You
What sets Aura apart is its coaching intelligence. Built on a dataset of more than 100,000 coaching points, it tailors drills to suit players at different stages of development—whether you’re working on grip, footwork, shot selection, or tactical play. Training intensity adjusts in real time, making it suitable for beginners and competitive athletes alike.
Players can launch drills hands-free using voice commands, keeping sessions fluid and uninterrupted. Aura also introduces features such as Recovery Trigger, which adapts ball feed timing to a player’s pace, and Match Challenge, which replicates the unpredictability of live opponents. For those chasing realism, Pro-Match Replication recreates shot patterns from uploaded match footage.
Portable Yet Powerful
Weighing just 7kg, Aura is built for mobility. It comes with a hot-swappable battery offering up to five hours of use, alongside a 120-ball capacity—ideal for training in different locations without needing a power outlet.
Aura is compatible with Spotter, a dual-camera system that tracks performance, delivers match insights, and even captures highlights automatically. It’s also supported by Pongbot’s wider community of more than 200,000 players, with over 10,000 drills built in from the start.
Aura is now live on Kickstarter, marking the next chapter in Pongbot’s push to blend AI with sports training. For players looking to sharpen their game across multiple disciplines, this could be the most versatile training partner yet.
