This robotic tennis partner lets you simulate actual matches on the court [Video]

A robot that can track your position on the court, serve you a range of shots, and simulate actual tennis matches has raised over $1.7 million on Kickstarter. With weeks still left in the campaign, there’s plenty of time to get in on the action.

While automated, remote-controlled, tennis-ball-serving machines are nothing new, the PongBot is striving to take the Challenge Cup in the field. It’s got a heap of AI-assisted features baked in along with smart-tracking technology that sets it apart from its less smart brethren.

For starters, while the PongBot relies on a smartphone app to access its many features, it also comes with a small clip-on sensor that tracks your position on the court, allowing you to leave your heavy and delicate phone on the sidelines during play.

You can also utilize the app to create customized drills right down the individual ball level. For example, as illustrated …