Automated Sports Ball Launcher wins grand prize in UNLV competition

Robert Callahan, right, of the Automated Sports Ball Launcher project, shoes the device to his mom, Lisa Marhevka, during the Senior Design Competition at the Foundations Building at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas on Thursday, Dec. 5, 2013. The device, which utilizes an automated hopper-feeder mechanism and allows users to aim that machine in a variety of directions, looks to be a balanced solution for baseball practice needs. (Chase Stevens/Las Vegas Review-Journal)

Ben Green of the "Vegas Valley Rim" project talks about it to attendees during the Senior Design Competition at the Foundations Building at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas on Thursday, Dec. 5, 2013. The group analyzed and designed a trail alignment for the southwest part of the Las Vegas Valley, which before was undefined and did not have any proposed plans. (Chase Stevens/Las Vegas Review-Journal)

Richard Rizzo, right, and John Saltonstall, of the judging panel, listen as Stephen Freeman presents his project "Steganosis Using Wavelets" during the Senior Design Competition at the Foundations Building at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas on Thursday, Dec. 5, 2013. Steganosis is the process of hiding information with an image, and the project utilizes an orthogonal Wavelet Transformation to encode and decode images. (Chase Stevens/Las Vegas Review-Journal)

Sammy Elshaal, center right, Leandro Moreira, left, of the"Electric Generating Turbo" project, talk to attendees during the Senior Design Competition at the Foundations Building at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas on Thursday, Dec. 5, 2013. The project utilizes a turbocharger to produce electricity from wasted exhaust gases. (Chase Stevens/Las Vegas Review-Journal)

The Automated Sports Ball Launcher won grand prize in the fall 2003 Senior Design Competition at University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

Twenty-three teams competed for 14 awards.

The Automated Sports Ball Launcher is a machine that can aim a baseball at any place on the field at the touch of a button. It was designed by Robert Callahan, William Calloway, Marvin Lemus and Philipp Maeder.

First place winners include:

— In the civil & environmental engineering & construction category, “Project Greencrete,” eco-friendly concrete

— In computer science, “Advanced Image and Video Processing Tools” by Jeff Senecal

— In electrical and computer engineering, “Eco Pump”

— In entertainment engineering and design, “Express layout change,” a quick-change gambling table top

— In mechanical engineering, “Autonomous Brass Collecting Rover,” which picks up brass bullet shells

— An interdisciplinary award to “CESIR Platform,” a drone

— For commercial potential, “Express layout change,” a quick-change gambling table top

— For sustainability, a tie between “240V high efficiency motor controller” and “Project Greencrete”