Perfecting the art of putting!

Inspired by a driver-assistance system it has developed for its vehicles, Nissan has created a golf ball that provides the perfect putt – every time!

Nissan claims to have taken the yips out of golf with its latest innovative concept, the ProPilot golf ball. Inspired by the company’s ProPilot 2.0 driver assistance technology which is set to debut next month in a new Nissan Skyline, the golf ball steers itself from putter to hole – perfectly, every time.

While the Skyline’s assistance system has been designed for on-ramp to off-ramp highway driving – keeping the car on a predefined path in a single lane – the golf ball uses similar technology to ensure that no matter what bumps, slopes or grain of grass it encounters on the green, it always follows a predetermined route to the hole.

According to a statement issued by Nissan, ProPilot 2.0 engages with a vehicle’s navigation system to help to manoeuvre the car according to a predefined route. The system is said to be the first to combine the feature with hands-off driving capability while cruising in a single lane on a highway.

Similarly, the golf ball has been designed to support golfers by following a predefined route to the hole. “Players can feel confident that the ball will reach its target effortlessly. Using technology influenced by Nissan Intelligent Mobility – the company’s vision for how cars are powered, driven and integrated into society – the ball navigates its way across the green and into the cup on the first putt, providing a stress-free golf experience,” the statement says.

Explaining how the technology works, the statement adds that an overhead camera detects the position of the ball in relation to the hole. When the ball is hit, a monitoring system calculates the correct route based on the ball’s movement and continually adjusts its trajectory.

“Combining sensing technology with an internal electric motor, the ProPilot golf ball stays on route until it ends up in the cup – making even novice golfers, of all ages, feel like pros.”

The golf ball is the latest in a series of concepts inspired by Nissan’s intelligent mobility technologies. Previous examples include a chair and a pair of slippers that park themselves out of the way when not in use.

If you’re in Japan until September 1, you can practise your putting with the ProPilot golf ball at Nissan’s Global Headquarters Gallery in Yokohama. The facility is open to the public from 10:00 to 20:00.