...
Humans are not perfect. There are always imperfections in any task that is done, including kicking. Our group wanted to tackle the challenge of kicking a soccer ball while adding a spin to the ball, much like the ones that are normally seen from professional soccer players like Messi or Renaldo at international tournaments. It would be interesting to be able to replicate and analyze the exact position, as well as the velocity at which a ball should be kicked to produce a certain spin using a complex system of mechanical linkages. For the scope of our project, we aim to design a mechanism that will be able to kick a ball while adding some spin on it, similar to what is seen in the following image:
It would be interesting to have the ability to analyze the motion that creates a specific spin on the ball, view it in a graph, and send it to the mechanism to see it in real time. Practically speaking, this mechanism could be used in schools and camps to teach beginners and even experts how to best position their feet, what kind of motion it would take, and how the velocity at which they strike the ball affects its motion.
...