It looks like a normal cricket ball, but it's really a computer for spin bowlers.

Researchers are RMIT are working  in collaboration with Cricket Victoria on  a smart cricket ball that will be able to tell bowlers exactly how fast it is spinning and on what axis.

It will allow cricketers, both amateur and professional, to discover and improve the style of bowling that is “perfect” for them, RMIT researcher Batdelger Doljin said.

Weighing in the normal range of 155.9g – 163.0g, the smart cricket ball looks and feels like any other cricket ball. What makes the ball stand out from the crowd is what it has on the inside.

In the centre of the smart cricket ball is a circuit board attached to tiny sensors, with a total weight of around 20g, which measures and records vital aspects of the technique involved in bowling, such as spin rate and spin axis.

According to Mr Doljin, in the world of spin bowling,  “the faster the spin, better the performance”.

Currently, the technology used to measure the spin rate, such as Hawk-Eye, is “very expensive and complex … not everyone can use it”,  Mr Doljin said.

However, when it comes to the smart cricket ball, “anyone can use it…you don’t have to be an expert”.

The ball will also come with a mobile application and a personal coaching guide, designed to speed up the training process, Mr Doljin said.

The mobile application connects to the smart cricket ball via Bluetooth, and displays all the information measured by the ball. Users have the choice of viewing the collected data on either a 2D or 3D graph.

The 2D graph displays the ball’s spin rate in three directions: up or down, left or right and forwards or backwards.

The 3D graph displays numerous types of information such as the spin axis and the style in which the ball was bowled.

Will Hogan, a spin bowler for Bendigo’s Sandhurst Cricket Club, said he would definitely consider buying one, as he believes that “it would improve my bowling technique”.

Hogan said the ball seems like it would be “very helpful” for professional cricketers, but he has some doubts on whether the price would be worth it for a local cricketer.

“This kind of technology seems like it would be expensive,” Hogan said.

Mr Doljin said no price had been set yet. It is set to be released into the market in the next two or three years.