The sports tech sector at CES has historically focused on wearables, but in Las Vegas this week, Pongbot is proving that the equipment itself is ready to wake up. Making its official CES debut, the Hong Kong-based sports technology company is showcasing the Pace S Pro, a flagship tennis robot that moves far beyond the predictable, mechanical rhythm of traditional ball machines.
Bridging the Gap Between Solo Practice and Real Match Play
The core challenge for any solo athlete is the lack of a reactive partner. Traditional machines simply fire balls at fixed intervals, often forcing the player to adapt to the machine's speed. Pongbot's solution, as highlighted by their team on the floor, is an "adaptive follow" system that flips this dynamic.
"Based on comparable traditional machines, we have our sensor that can track your movements," a Pongbot representative explained during an interview at their booth. "It actually shoots the tennis balls based on your movements. So, it's like the player is a real player... and it should shoot taxes [targets] at that one spot all the time, so it's kind of cold."
This "cold" efficiency is powered by a unique combination of Ultra-Wideband (UWB) tracking and Recovery Trigger technology. Unlike camera-based systems that can struggle with sunlight or outdoor glare, the UWB trackers (clipped to the net and the player) operate with sub-10cm accuracy at a 100Hz sampling rate. This allows the Pace S Pro to "see" when a player has successfully returned to the recovery zone before it launches the next shot, effectively syncing with the player's natural rhythm.
Pro-Level Intensity in a Portable Frame
For serious competitors, the machine's internal mechanics are as impressive as its software. The Pace S Pro can deliver ball speeds up to 80 mph and spin rates of 60 rotations per second.
One of its most significant engineering feats—and a major talking point at CES—is its ability to switch between spin types (such as topspin to slice) in just 1.5 seconds.
"We can switch different types of bowls, like can switch from other spin to topspin, just 1.5 seconds, and based on this in our air [app], we also can customize your own drills," the staff member noted.
This rapid switching introduces the unpredictability of a human opponent, who might follow a deep topspin drive with a short, low slice—a sequence that traditional machines simply cannot replicate without manual adjustment.
A Positively Critical Look: The App as the New Coach
While the hardware is robust, a critical look at the user experience reveals that Pongbot's true potential lies in its digital ecosystem. The machine comes with over 564 pre-programmed drills tailored to NTRP levels 1.0 through 7.0. However, the real value for many will be the community feature.
"Right now, we're also going to improve our products. Especially in our apps, because we have 70 people lobbying our app, and they are sharing their drills in our community," the staff shared. "We want to build our app more easy to use and also more open resources... people here to come to use it and share your careers [drills]."
Currently, the app allows for deep customization of speed, height, and spin, even allowing users to "copy the federals" [Roger Federer's drills] or mimic specific professional match sequences. The challenge for 2026 will be streamlining this interface; while powerful, the depth of customization can be daunting for casual users who just want to hit the court and play.
The Road to 2027: Europe and Portability
Pongbot is already looking toward the next year with plans for a "pocket-sized" version of their tech.
"In this EU [CES], we are planning to have our new back lunch [launch]. Pocketbook, so it's more lighter, and also we have vision for that," the representative teased.
They are also expanding into Padel, a sport currently exploding in popularity across Europe, by adapting their tracking and feeding systems to the smaller court and different ball dynamics of that game.
As CES 2026 winds down, Pongbot stands out as a company that has successfully transitioned from its roots in table tennis to the high-stakes world of full-court athletics. By prioritizing "human-machine rhythm" over simple automation, they are making a compelling case that the most important coach on the court might soon be a robot.
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