XCStriker -
Complete Digital Sports Watch
The Idea: When passions combine some amazing things can become reality. The XCStriker is a prime example of this, as the inventor had a passion for Engineering Design and for Martial Arts. The problem, how does one tell if they are really improving when participating in Martial arts? And how can one accurately measure improvement in such sports? There are many approaches and opinions on this topic but one wide spread method is to look at punch strength. Typically this is done by breaking boards in competition. How about a different approach? One that the user can use during training and tournaments... The XCstriker was born.
Approach: The XCStriker combines embedded Radio Frequency Technology with a MEMS Accelerometer to provide real-time analysis of sport movements. These sensors are placed on the body, typically extremities, to measure force and velocity during any activity. The XCStriker firmware analyzes the data in real-time and provides instant feedback to the user. With such a general sensor many different form factors (mechanical designs) have been considered for different applications. There are a number of important topics to be discussed with an idea such as XCStriker. The scope can grow exponentially so the initial concept needs to be simplified for prototyping and system analysis. Zinology came up with the idea for a watch based system that would allow users the ability to use the sensor on the wrist for Martial Arts applications. The display would allow users instant feedback on their training. The watch would also be capable of providing real-time data to a local computer by using an embedded 900MHz Radio and dongle.
Development: The development process was very involved and took on many different phases. At a high level here is the process we went through to complete the development...
PCB Layout:
Complete PCB with 900MHz radio:
Machined Plastic Housing and Stainless Steel Back:
The Complete Prototype:
