The ball with a brain

We’ve all blamed the ball after a suspect shot. When in doubt, have a pop at the gear, right? Well, your shameless excuses are about to be exposed thanks to a new high-tech ball.

The boffins at Adidas have boffed away (is that rude?) in their lab and come up with the miCoach Smart Ball – a ball that can track power, spin, impact position and trajectory. Early reports that it could also make tea were misleading. We’re disappointed.

If you want the goalkeeper to dig your free-kicks out of the back of the net, rather than the ditch, there's a companion app that offers a dedicated training section.

You can learn how to execute the famed ‘knuckle ball’ and there's a 'challenge yourself' section, which tasks you with kicking the ball within a certain speed, bending it around a wall or trying to replicate pro level free kicks.

When you inevitably slice another one into the hedge, the wayward ping will be measured by 12 sensors secured inside the ball by Kevlar – yes that’s right, Kevlar – the stuff used to armourplate bulletproof vests. Even the trademark hoof of an 18-stone centre-back won’t bust this ball.

To find out just how good – or bad – your right foot swinger is, you can sync the data to your phone via Bluetooth. There an app processes your stats before suggesting video tutorials from the pros to help you turn pea rollers into net-busters.

You’ll also be able to complete a series of challenges and keep a record book of your best shots and passes to help plot improvement.

To cap it all off, the ball comes with a wireless stand that charges the futuristic sphere when it’s not being smashed around.

adidas micoach SMART BALL will be available exclusively for $/€ 299.00 at adidas.com and the Apple Online Store in the US, Canada, Europe and Hong Kong. The micoach SMART BALL app is available for free from the App Store from Tuesday, May 27.