Swing App
If you're Canadian, wear plaid, and take your maple syrup neat, we built our app for you.
Axe throwing gets our team really excited. That's why we decided to build Swing, a performance optimization app that records and analyzes data each time you throw your axe. It takes a rolling average of your throws, to come up with a throw signature that's unique to you. Each throw is compared to this average, as well as giving you per throw info.
Our app wants to help you improve your axe throwing accuracy and consistency. But that comes as part of a much larger vision; when people learn quicker, they feel better about themselves, and enjoy themselves more. Axe throwing ties back to our heritage; it makes us proud to be who we are. It's also used for team building, with increasing popularity amongst tech companies and adventurous souls.
Quick & Dirty
So what did we really build here? Let's start with our hardware.
Texas Instrument SensorTag with the CC2650 wireless MCU and Bluetooth (in red, of course).
All of the data was sent directly from the SensorTag to Swing. The first measurement we were able to take was peak G force reached during the throw. This is indicative of power of the throw. While this doesn't always guarantee accuracy, it does guarantee that your axe will have the force to make that satisfying sink into the target.
We had intended to measure air time, but upon investigation we found that the throws were so quick that the acceleration data along the X axis was much more valuable.
We measure the degrees of rotation of the axe because we know that landing blade first is paramount. Anything under 70°/sec is an under rotation, 70°/sec-140°/sec is a good throw, over 140°/sec is an over rotation.
| Characteristic | Description | Axis |
|---|---|---|
| Peak G Force | Acceleration | X |
| Rotation | Sticking | X & Y |
| Straightness | Accuracy | Y |
| Arc | Loftiness | Z |
| Wobble | Flight Path | Z |
Onwards & Upwards
Performance optimization software like ours can benefit people who have difficulty with fine motor control. Our vision is to excite the passion for social target sports in everyone - especially, those who have a deep desire to improve their throws, from experts to beginners.
"Remember primal man / who only had his hands / who forged in fire and steel / the tools to kill his meal / we honour him this day / and pray our axe to stay."
Special thanks to BATL for the support & enthusiasm
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