Training aid

We have certainly entered the age of AI robots doing the jobs we formerly relied on humans for. Some are yet to do it as well, but the Pongbot Pace S Pro is the best tennis coach I've had – even if it doesn't criticize my poor two-handed backhand grip.

We recently told you about the T-Apex, a mobile tennis-ball-serving robot that tracks and assesses players' returns. Well, the Acemate bot goes a step further, by actually rallying back and forth with players to really hone their skills.

If you want to run faster, it definitely helps if you know what it feels like to run faster. The Airshield was designed with that fact in mind, as it allows runners to train without experiencing any air resistance.

A new training device is claimed to make you a better soccer player, even if you're practicing by yourself. It's called Voon Soccer, and it electronically assesses your performance in tens of different skill-building drills.

Sadly, this is not a rollercoaster for horses. And despite its dystopian hover-chariot looks, it's actually designed to be a kinder and safer way to prepare young horses for the often-damaging shock of beginning a race training program.

While punching bags do help boxers hone their craft, the things don't replicate one key aspect of real boxing – they don't punch back. The Boxing Buddy, which is currently on Indiegogo, is designed to address that shortcoming.

It goes without saying that surgeons require a very delicate, precise touch. A new set of surgical training gloves were designed with that fact in mind, as they monitor their wearer's hand movements, and provide feedback on their technique.

Monitoring your performance can help you improve in pretty much any sport, and that includes table tennis. The German-designed Janova paddle was created with this fact in mind, as it tracks your strokes while you play.

​We've already seen "smart" soccer balls with integrated sensors that track parameters such as the ball's spin and trajectory. Well, the DribbleUp takes a different approach to smart training. It has markings that allow it to be tracked by a free iOS/Android app.

Tidy Dog aims to make the task of puppy training a little easier, by automatically giving your dog a treat each time it puts one of its toys back in the bin. This should, in theory, lead to the owner of the pet having to spend less time manually putting away their dog's toys themselves.

A lot of people like to monitor their heart rate while exercising, plus they also like listening to music. Usually, doing both involves wearing at least a couple of devices. The new On audio headset, however, plays back music and gathers biometric data ... through the user's ear.

In sports, data is helpful in letting players improve their game, and hockey is no exception. Quattriuum Team is launching FWD Powershot, a sensor that goes right in the stick and provides a range of data to players.