Engineer and YouTuber Shane Wighton has invented a basketball hoop that ensures you never miss a shot.

Sensors track the trajectory of each shot and motors attached to the backboard adjust its angle to deflect the ball into the hoop. But Wighton’s video goes into some fascinating detail, explaining both the underlying technology and the design process.

For example, the whole process of tracking the shot, calculating the angle, and adjusting the backboard has to take place in just 600 milliseconds. This meant Wighton really has to optimize his design to make it as lightweight, and therefore as easy to move, as possible. That’s why the motors that power the thing are attached to the back frame rather than the backboard itself, and why the support struts are hollowed out: All is to reduce weight and make the backboard easier to re-angle at high speeds. There’s also a lot of cleverness in the software side, which is powered by a Microsoft Kinect, beloved by DIY hackers everywhere. (SD-Agencies)