Introducing the gBall™
This weekend around the country, the gBall(BETA) will change Australian rules football as we know it.
Building on our core strength in search, Google was approached by a number of Australian rules football leagues to apply our technology in their search for new talent. In response, Google, in partnership with the official supplier of matchballs to the AFL, Sherrin, has developed the gBall. Incorporating specially developed Google technology, it will be used in all school and amateur competitions - and will go on sale to the public - this weekend.
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gBall account
Plug your gBall into your PC to register your details and set up a gBall account.
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The gBall at a glance:
- Weighs an extra 107g
- Extra 35.8mm in diameter
- Kicks are automatically measured using special in-built equipment
- You get personalised online kicking tips and suggestions, based on kicking data
- gBall vibrates if player agents or talent scouts want to speak to you
- Find your lost gBall online using Google Maps
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gBall technology
New Google technology analyses your kicking style, strength and accuracy, to tell you how to improve your kicking.
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The gBall at a glance:
- Weighs an extra 107g
- Extra 35.8mm in diameter
- Kicks are automatically measured using special in-built equipment
- You get personalised online kicking tips and suggestions, based on kicking data
- gBall vibrates if player agents or talent scouts want to speak to you
- Find your lost gBall online using Google Maps
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Data transmission
In-ball Google technology pinpoints your gBall and measures your kicks. Data is stored online and also sent to talent scouts and player agents.
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The gBall at a glance:
- Weighs an extra 107g
- Extra 35.8mm in diameter
- Kicks are automatically measured using special in-built equipment
- You get personalised online kicking tips and suggestions, based on kicking data
- gBall vibrates if player agents or talent scouts want to speak to you
- Find your lost gBall online using Google Maps
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Vibration alert
For those with great talent, the gBall will vibrate if the talent scouts or agents want to speak to you. Simply plug in your ball to your PC and log into your gBall account to make contact.
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The gBall at a glance:
- Weighs an extra 107g
- Extra 35.8mm in diameter
- Kicks are automatically measured using special in-built equipment
- You get personalised online kicking tips and suggestions, based on kicking data
- gBall vibrates if player agents or talent scouts want to speak to you
- Find your lost gBall online using Google Maps
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gBall on Google Maps
The integrated GPS allows you to find your gBall on Google Maps if you lose it.
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The gBall at a glance:
- Weighs an extra 107g
- Extra 35.8mm in diameter
- Kicks are automatically measured using special in-built equipment
- You get personalised online kicking tips and suggestions, based on kicking data
- gBall vibrates if player agents or talent scouts want to speak to you
- Find your lost gBall online using Google Maps
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Users can plug in and register their gBall online, using a simple interface. The gBall contains inbuilt GPS and motion sensor systems to monitor the location, force and torque of each kick. The data is interpreted by a new curvilenear parabolic approximation algorithm developed in Google's Sydney office, known as DENNIS ("Dimensional, Elastic, Non-Linear, Network-Neutral, Inertial Sequencing"), which plots the ball's trajectory, accuracy and distance.
Using artificial intelligence technology, Google can provide users - from amateurs to professional players - with detailed online kicking tips, style suggestions and tutorials based on their gBall kicking data.
Kicking data is also sent to national talent scouts and player agents. The gBall will vibrate if talent scouts or player agents want to make contact with the user. Users can log in to their gBall account to make contact.
As an added bonus, anyone who misplaces his or her gBall will be able to search Google Maps to locate it.
Press Centre | Sherrin homepage | Send to a friend | FAQ
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Beta testimonials

"Bloody brilliant. I was out during lunch, kicking with my mates and I let a couple rip from 60 metres out. The gBall vibrated and I've now got an agent. I resigned from work yesterday as contract negotiations are now in final stages with the Eagles."
Tom, Tasmania

"I was kicking the footy 80 metres over wheat silos as a teenager. How many other kids are doing that today? Now Google can tell us. This is fantastic."
John "Chocko" Miller (Victorian State of Origin legend)

"The extra weight and width takes a few days to get used to, especially in the wet, but this is a really positive development. I've already got some useful tips on how to kick straighter by using the gBall."
Name withheld, unnamed AFL club, Sydney

"I finally found me footy. Me little brother had chucked it on the shed roof, but we found it again on Google."
Mitch, Adelaide

"Thanks Google and Sherrin - this gets my boyfriend out of my hair for a few hours each day. He won't stop kicking the gBall. He goes to the park on his own and kicks it from one end to the other, fetches it, and kicks it back. He says he's waiting for it to vibrate."
Cara, Perth
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Google, gBall and their logos are trademarks of Google Inc. All gBalls are made to comply with Australian Standard AS-0104-2009 (Use of electronic Geo-navigational satellite instrumentation in leather goods). |
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