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Sensor-based golf club analyses your swing

01 January, 2005

Sensor-based golf club analyses your swing

A US company has developed an "intelligent" golf club incorporating miniature sensors that record key characteristics of the player`s swing on the golf course or driving range, and transmit these to a PC for analysis. The club, made by Texas-based SmartSwing, uses tiny MEMS (micro electromechanical systems) accelerometers to measure the club`s acceleration and swing plane, and MEMS gyroscopes to gauge how much the player`s hands are twisting.

The electronics, built into the club`s shaft, gives the player detailed feedback on the quality of their swing. This data can be analysed using software supplied with the club, which can view the swing from any angle and compare it to an ideal swing.

The sensors used in the club have been supplied by Analog Devices which has been producing chip-based accelerometers since 1998. The low-power sensors come from ADI`s iMEMS family.

The SmartSwing club costs between $649 and $799, depending on the software required.