Meet Nicholas Martino, the brain behind the world’s first rechargeable, glow-in-the dark cricket ball. Fitted with tiny LEDs that take only 20 seconds to be fully charged, the ball is intended to facilitate practice during evenings and nights, without the need for any external lighting. As Martino points out, the luminous ball can also be used in twilight T-20 games, indoor matches or even backyard cricket.

Based in Bellarine Peninsula, Australia, Martino is a landscaper by profession. His passion for sports, particularly cricket, has led him to create what is likely the world’s first luminiferous ball. Each of these balls can glow brightly for a short period of time, at the end of which it can be charged inside a small box or swapped with a second glow-in-the-dark ball. Once fully charged (around 20 seconds), it can be used for just one over, before the light starts getting dim. According to Martino, however, you only need two balls to conduct an entire game. He said:

One market is providing a ball for Big Bash games and another huge audience is obviously for kids hitting the ball around at home… So you play with two balls, charging one then the other.

The technology behind the innovation was developed in China, while the balls themselves were manufactured in India. The mechanism, as Martino explains, is basically same as the kind found in LED televisions and smartphone displays. Despite the additional circuitry, the glowing cricket ball is quite similar to regular Kookaburra balls, in terms of weight and feel. In the coming months, Martino hopes to increase production, and is currently encouraging local cricket clubs to trial the effulgent ball during training and night-time games. He added:

It will be a world first so it could put Geelong and specifically cricket in Geelong, on the map.

In the past, Martino has also designed glow-in-the dark versions of football as well as baseball. To know more about the man and his various innovations, click here.

Via: Geelong Advertiser