Possibility of Trackman-like metrics using iPhone camera

[cvhookem63]

I was watching the Apple event this morning, and they had Steve Nash on stage talking about the tech in the new iPhone Xs. He was showcasing an app for basketball called Home Court that allows you to set up the phone/iPad on a tripod and use the phone's camera to capture video that the app used to give real-time metrics feedback. It is able to give metrics like leg angle, release angle, release time, speed, and release height. I know basketball and golf are wildly different, but this got me to thinking: What is the possibility that we could see a cellular phone with the ability to capture Trackman-like data in real time? Things are moving much faster in a golf swing than a basketball shot, but with technology constantly advancing, I could see it happening eventually, and I think it would be awesome. What do you guys think?

 

Here are some screen grabs from the basketball app:

 

[ChadR7371]

Unfortunately not. I was very interested in this for a time but I did the basic calculations and even for a slow swing speed, the iPhone doesn't have enough frames per second to capture the ball twice.

 

This is also at the lowest resolution, so spin isn't able to be calculated. The high frames per second also means there's less light for each frame and so the image is very dark.

 

It'd have to be developed with external hardware and would probably end up being the SkyTrak at that point.

 

That being said, there are some "shot tracer" apps that aren't unusable even if they are slow and don't work every time. The paths and properties could be estimated from ball path, but that very much isn't accurate or usable.

[dbdors]

It exist already. Maybe the new phone can do a better job: http://www.levvgolf.com/

 

Edit: old thread about Levv Golf, http://www.golfwrx.c...f#entry17562856

 

Edit2: according to this page, the new phone will still only do 240fps, so no improvement there.

[sdrthedj]

0 chance. Models like GC2 use high speed camera and infrared light. Phones will never get there.

[BryanT84]

Hey guys, Bryan here from LEVV GOLF. The app definitely exists, and we released a major update in July with many improvements. We have changed the look and feel of the app as well as upgraded our tracking technology for improved accuracy. In the app, we have our Starter Kit as well as the Help section, to assist with setting up and using LEVV GOLF. As with Home Court, the set up guidelines and the conditions that LEVV should be used in are important for you to get the best results, but we have made it as easy and robust as possible and we've had amazing feedback on this from our users. If you guys have any questions or need any assistance, please feel free to contact us at [email protected]. We love chatting about golf and the app, and we appreciate and welcome any feedback.

[mktrout]

thats cool, I'll give it a shot

[3114]

I was watching the Apple event this morning, and they had Steve Nash on stage talking about the tech in the new iPhone Xs. He was showcasing an app for basketball called Home Court that allows you to set up the phone/iPad on a tripod and use the phone's camera to capture video that the app used to give real-time metrics feedback. It is able to give metrics like leg angle, release angle, release time, speed, and release height. I know basketball and golf are wildly different, but this got me to thinking: What is the possibility that we could see a cellular phone with the ability to capture Trackman-like data in real time? Things are moving much faster in a golf swing than a basketball shot, but with technology constantly advancing, I could see it happening eventually, and I think it would be awesome. What do you guys think?

 

Here are some screen grabs from the basketball app:

 

 

Cameras on phones are freaking amazing. Especially for what the vast majority of people use them for. There would have to be a ton of market demand for a camera powerful enough to accurately analyze a golf ball for this to come to fruition. Who knows if this will ever happen?

 

Personally, I think we'll see doppler-radar technology integrated into phones before that. (Opinion based on no facts or information - doppler-radar could negatively interact with cell phone functions for all I know). The technology in the Flightscope Mevo will continue to get smaller. Even if it doesn't reach a small enough level where it could be incorporated into a stock phone, it will definitely become small enough where you could temporarily attach it to your phone, similar to the phone cases fitted with extra batteries. In the not so distant future, we'll be able to download one app that functions equivalent to V1 and Flightscope, combined. Hopefully anyway.

[dbdors]

Like the walabot. https://www.gearbrain.com/review-walabot-3d-imaging-device-diy-stud-finder-2093324755.html