Cuban baseball will soon benefit with the introduction of a machine for the diagnosis and training of pitchers designed at the University of Holguin.

Granma reports that a prototype is currently under construction, with a view toward subsequent industrial production.

According to the technical description, the essential component of the equipment conceived by engineer Arnoldo Alfredo Martínez Acosta is an electronic device controlled by a computer, which together allow pitchers to train without a catcher, and provide a differentiated characterization of each athlete.

Other advantages of the equipment are ease of programming; use of fewer balls during practice; detailed analysis of each pitch; and testing possibilities to determine if a pitcher is ready to play when scheduled.

The machine controls the catcher's position within the virtual impact zone, which is digitally recorded along with the speed of the pitch, thus facilitating statistical studies.

This new equipment, in which electronics, mechanics, and computer programming are all involved, features a cushion that absorbs the kinetic energy of balls pitched, which are automatically returned to the pitcher by a transport mechanism.