FoosballTable
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11 The Beautiful Game is to foosball tables as Vertu is to basic Nokias (video)
Foosball, it's the game of champions too afraid to step outside and get their boots muddy. If that's a sentiment you can relate to, you'll have no trouble understanding why a team of Dutch designers has put together this here foosball table deluxe, which they've called 11 The Beautiful Game. In development since way back in 2008, the 11 has just made its way into limited production with a pre-order available via GRO Design's website. We had a little looksie inside the company's portfolio of past works and, as it turns out, it's already responsible for designing the Nokia 6500 and 6500 Slide, meaning it should be well versed in the art of massaging metal into beauty. Each unit ordered takes 12 weeks of meticulous handcrafting to build, but if you haven't got that long to wait, the video's just after the break right now. [Thanks, Martin]
DIY Lego foosball table advances to Nerd Cup semi-finals (video)
Expert Lego builder Sariel managed to impress us a few months ago with his fully-articulated robotic arm, and he's now back with a particularly well-timed project: a foosball table built entirely out of Lego. While it's not fully automated (and therefore ineligible for the Robo Cup), it does use some WeDo motion sensors to automatically keep track of the score and announce goals on a laptop connected to the table (not to mention on some sliding Lego bricks above each goal), and it even packs a built-in ball return mechanism to help speed up play. Head on past the break to check it out in action.
Audi's foosball table still costs less than its cars, but not by much
Look, if we were in the market for a foosball table, we came across this lovely unit, and it ran $50 or $100 more than your standard-issue wooden model, we'll be honest: we'd seriously consider it. Heck, we might even be willing to plunk down an extra $200 if we were in a good mood. But Audi -- a company traditionally known for designing cars, not work break entertainment devices -- is looking to command far more for this work of art. Having debuted two years ago at Audi's Concept Design studio in Munich, the company and production partner Leonhart are now hawking a limited run of 20 of the tables for a whopping €12,900 ($15,800) each -- a price that far outstrips any semblance of reason or justification unless you're the kind of person that owns ten Audis, not merely one. For what it's worth, the company says "a year's painstaking craftsmanship" was necessary before the prototypes tables were even ready, so we suppose you get what you pay for; just don't set your beer on the edge, alright?
2eleven introduces souped-up foosball table
It's not quite as elaborate as some foosball tables we've seen, but this new rig from 2eleven will no doubt attract its fair share of attention nonetheless and, unlike some of those other units, it's actually pre-built. While there doesn't seem to be a complete breakdown of all its intricacies, the table does come equipped with some LED score displays, a pair of LCD displays apparently intended to display advertisements, an automatic ball lift mechanism and, yes, cup holders. Of course, those accommodations for ads would seem to suggest that this one isn't exactly intended for home use, but we're guessing at least a few folks out there will find a way around that.[Via Be Sportier]
Chelpa Ferro's foosball table is seriously wired for sound
Highly modified foosball tables are a dime a dozen, but this contraption could easily be mistook for some sort of Martian gaming machine at first glance. Dreamed up and crafted by designer Chelpa Ferro, this Tota Treme Terra looks to be a vanilla foosball table with an artsy overhead light and a hodgepodge of speakers wrapped all around. Word on the street has it that the machine belts out sound effects based on the action up above, but sadly, the actual details about this potential ninth wonder of the world are being left to our imaginations.
DIY robotic foosball table is ready to throw down
Finally, your dreams of a constant foosball opponent have become a startling reality. Some clever DIY-types have come up with a solution for how to fill all those long, lonely nights -- a computer-controlled foosball table. The premise is simple: servos coupled with a micro-controller operate the arms of the table, while a camera above the action monitors the game, including the location of the ball and the opponents moves, then processes that information using a custom AI. Sure, your game won't include players like Hitler or Ghandi, but at least you won't have to go hunting for competition on those late nights. Check the video after the break, and hit the read link for all the how-to info.
