U‑blox components are at the core of two new GNSS golf products. The golf rangefinder wearables were launched by Voice Caddie, an international brand of rangefinders and trackers based in South Korea.
The T3 Hybrid Golf GPS Watch uses the compact u‑blox UBX‑G7020‑KT professional‑grade GNSS chip, which links with GPS/QZSS or GLONASS satellite systems.
The B1 GPS Band uses the u‑blox UBX‑M8030‑KT professional‑grade GNSS chip, which provides navigation sensitivity and low current consumption. It is compatible with GPS, Galileo, GLONASS and BeiDou satellite systems.
The u‑blox GNSS technology enables the T3 Watch and the B1 Band to automatically detect golf courses and holes, and shows the wearer the driving distance and remaining distance to the hole as well as the distance to the front, middle and back of the green. The T3 Watch also measures short distances.
“Miniaturization is key to our goal to make truly mobile golfing technology wearables,” said Ho‑Hyeong Lee, director of the Research Center at Voice Caddie parent company Ucomm Technology. “The u‑blox GNSS chips are the ideal solution for our products, because of a combination of their compact size, low power‑consumption and low cost. This has helped us to create advanced, comfortable products at the price points we were targeting.”
Both companies foresee further collaboration with high precision GNSS and short range solutions.
Golf fans who watched televised coverage of the U.S. Open golf tournament June 18-21 got a new outlook on what the professional golfer is facing, thanks to a camera and augmented-reality tracking system that includes a 1750 inertial measurement unit (IMU) from KVH Industries.
Called RangeFinder, the system was developed by Sportvision, Inc., creators of football’s Virtual Yellow 1st and Ten Line, in conjunction with FOX Sports, and it debuted during the broadcast of the 115th U.S. Open from Chambers Bay, in University Place, Wash.
The KVH 1750 IMU,
At the heart of Sportvision’s RangeFinder system is a broadcast-quality camera with a KVH 1750 IMU mounted in a box at the top of the camera; the IMU works in conjunction with a GPS mounted at the base of the camera. By combining data from the IMU and the GPS, the RangeFinder system enables the measurement of the precise location and attitude of the camera; with that information, Sportvision technicians create augmented-reality graphics that indicate how far away a green, sand trap, obstacle or any other feature is located.
“We selected KVH’s 1750 IMU due to its performance attributes, its size and weight, as well as its cost-effectiveness,” said Mike Jakob, Sportvision president and chief financial officer. “We know this IMU well for what it brings to some of our other products, and we appreciate the reliability and high quality.”
KVH’s 1750 IMU incorporates three axes of KVH’s DSP-1750, a tiny fiber optic gyro, with three axes of accelerometer technology to create an advanced six-degrees-of-freedom sensor. Designed to integrate easily into demanding stabilization, pointing and navigation applications, the 1750 IMU enhances performance at a lower cost than competing systems, KVH said.
“Our IMUs and other inertial sensors have been used in several of Sportvision’s innovative products, including the LiveLine system for America’s Cup yacht racing coverage, and we are thrilled to play a role in this new system for golf coverage,” said Martin Kits van Heyningen, KVH chief executive officer.
The RangeFinder system is designed to enhance the television viewer’s enjoyment of golf competitions by providing more insight into the setting. “The camera is mounted on a mobile tower that can go vertical 20 feet in the air, and that gives the viewer a really unique perspective of the course,” said Ken Milnes, project manager for Sportvision. “With the camera fully instrumented, we can put augmented-reality graphics on the TV screen. We virtually insert a rectangular placard that the TV viewer sees, with a pointer arrow and the yardage to the hole or obstacle.”
During the U.S. Open, the RangeFinder mobile camera towered were positioned on the fairway for a golfer’s second or third shot on a particular hole; the intent was to provide graphics on the approach shots to the green, rather than on a drive from the tee. Sportvision and FOX Sports worked together for more than a year to develop the new system.
“For the TV viewer, RangeFinder gives them an angle behind the golfer that they have never seen before,” said Zac Fields, vice president for graphics and technology at FOX Sports Media Group. “One of the advantages of any sports telecast is being able to utilize technologies so the viewer can see things that the athlete cannot. RangeFinder is a great example of being able to provide that kind of insight. We tested this technology at a smaller tournament last month and the initial feedback was extremely positive.”
KVH’s 1750 IMU marries the E•Core ThinFiber technology of KVH’s DSP-1750 FOG with very low noise, solid-state MEMS accelerometers to create a commercial-off-the-shelf IMU. The 1750 IMU offers exceptional precision in a very small form factor, designed for applications where space is limited such as unmanned and autonomous systems.
The 1750 IMU is one of a series of three IMUs that KVH has developed to address a wide range of demanding applications, including autonomous vehicles; unmanned aerial surveillance, surveying, and mapping; autonomous research and exploration; humanoid robots; and oil and gas pipeline inspection equipment.
Garmin International has introduced two new handhelds geared for the golf aficionado, including a new top-of-the-line model, the Approach G8.
The Approach G7 and G8 golf handhelds have color touchscreens, more than 30,000 preloaded international courses, a rechargeable battery capable of multiple rounds, and new measurement features such as PlaysLike Distance, which shows adjusted range for uphill and downhill shots.
For golfers who prefer to leave their smartphones in their bags, the new Approach handhelds offer Smart Notification technology, which lets the user pair a compatible iPhone 4S or later to receive emails, texts, and call alerts on the device (Android compatibility is expected in the second quarter of this year). The devices are also compatible with Garmin Connect, so users can upload their scores and track their progress over time.
Both the Approach G7 and G8 incorporate the new measurement feature PlaysLike Distance, which adjusts distances for uphill and downhill shots, so players get the most accurate yardage measurements. Both devices also offer Club Advice, which remembers how far users hit each club and makes recommendations based on shot distances.
Another new feature in the G7 and G8 golf handhelds is the Big Numbers mode, so users can easily see the vital information they need without squinting or reading glasses.
The Approach G7 and G8 handhelds come preloaded with more than 30,000 international courses, with no extra subscriptions or fees. Both devices give precise distance to the front, back and center of the green, as well as layup and dogleg distances. Both devices have a rechargeable battery that plays an entire weekend of golf (15 hours) on a single charge.
The Approach G7 and G8 double as digital scorecards with scoring options for Stroke Play, Stableford, Skins and Match Play with adjustable handicaps. Users can save, review, share and print scores for up to four players. With the vibrant screen, the G7 and G8 offer colorful layup arcs at 100, 150, 200 and even 250 yards, so users know exactly how far to hit when laying up.
The Touch Targeting feature lets users touch any point on the display, and will give the precise distance to that exact spot, no matter if it is on the fairway, a hazard, a landing area, or even the front, middle or back of the green.
Like other Approach devices, the G7 and G8 have Green View, which allows users to zero in on a map of the green and manually position the pin in order to get the most accurate yardages. There is also an advanced Stat Tracking feature in the G7 and G8, which keeps track of fairways hit, greens in regulation and putts per round. These stats can be viewed during the round, or can be downloaded afterwards.
The premium Approach G8 also provides blind shot assistance with the new PinPointer feature, which shows the user the exact center of the green even if it’s not visible, and points them in the right direction for more accurate blind shots. Additionally, it adds Wi-Fi, so the G8 will automatically update courses when connected to Wi-Fi at no additional cost. The G8 rounds out the Approach family as the top-of-the-line golf handheld from Garmin.
New to the Garmin golf lineup, the Approach G7 and G8 will now be compatible with Garmin Connect. With the recent revamp of the online community, owners with Approach G7 and G8 will be able to upload, analyze and share their scorecards, as well as other data like fairways hit, greens in regulation, shot distance and number of putts. Users can keep track of whom they’ve played against, and who won each round. They can analyze course data, and see hole-by-hole details to understand their own trends and tendencies to improve their game. This is great to track users’ progress and improvements over time for every course they play.
Rugged, and with a water rating of IPX7, the Approach G7 and G8 are durable enough to withstand a rainstorm, or users’ golf bags without fear of damage. The Approach G7 and G8 will be available in Q1 2014. The Approach G7 will retail for $299.99 and the Approach G8 will retail for $399.99, and will be available at specialty golf retailers, golf course pro-shops and on garmin.com.
Despite the continued decline of PNDs, and the threat of smartphones, smart watches and eyewear, the portable GPS-enabled device market is forecast to continue to hold its own thanks to dedicated HUD/eyewear, cycling and health/tracking devices, according to a report by ABI Research.
ABI Research’s quarterly GNSS Database forecasts the new and emerging markets for GPS-enabled devices, and where the opportunities lie in terms of device formats and vertical markets. The report also considers the impact of competitive formats such as smartphone applications, wearable sensors, smart watches, and smart eyewear, providing a complete picture of drivers and inhibitors in this market.
Senior analyst Patrick Connolly comments, “The overall market is forecast to grow from 33.3 million units in 2012 to 36.79 million in 2018, following a brief dip in 2013 as PND declines outweigh growth in other areas. Total revenues will undergo a brief period of fluctuation from 2013 to 2015, before rising to $7.14 billion in 2018.”
Dominique Bonte adds, “The markets for cycling computers, health/elderly, and fitness are starting to get interesting. As ASPs decline and smart watches become a more established part of our lives, the addressable market will be eaten up, limiting the growth potential for dedicated fitness devices. Looking longer term, ABI Research has forecast very strong growth for HUD/eyewear devices, particularly in the fitness, golf, and cycling categories. It would not be surprising to see an acquisition in this space over the next 12 months.”
These findings are part of ABI Research’s Location Devices Research Service, which includes research analyses, market data, insights, and competitive assessments focused on the GPS/GNSS IC and devices markets.
Game Golf, a wearable technology and integrated software platform for golf, is available for pre-0rder, and expected to be released this summer. Backed by professional golfers Graeme McDowell and Lee Westwood, it seamlessly records a player’s golf game to make the game more engaging, visual, interactive, shareable and social, both on and off the course.
“Game Golf not only gives everyone access to crucial data to dramatically improve your golf game and handicap, but it also makes playing more motivating, rewarding, social and fun,” said Graeme McDowell, 2010 U.S. Open Champion and Game Golf investor. “The product is extremely intuitive, doesn’t disrupt your game and is essential for any golfer looking to understand their game better, knock down their handicap, give themselves a competitive edge and compete with their friends and family across the globe.”
Game Golf is designed by fuseproject and Yves Béhar, CEO of fuseproject and Chief Creative Officer at Jawbone, the maker of the wireless Jambox speaker. The Game Golf elegant and discreet wearable device tracks the data around the course, and uploads the data automatically to an intuitive app which allows you to track, analyze and share the data collected. It tracks the most important statistics from your golf game, including club-by-club performance, fairway accuracy, greens in regulation and putting.
“The design of the Game Golf app and product has been closely integrated: a beautiful and dynamic presentation of play data, easy and fun ways to share, non-disruptive hardware and experience,” said Yves Béhar, CEO of fuseproject. “The design and user interface is crafted to deliver a 21st-century experience of the game.”
The product uses a combination of positional technology, motion sensors and near field communication to capture the golfer’s data from the course. The device is engineered to be power efficient and extend battery life beyond that of the average smartphone and provides two full rounds of tracking on one charge. Data from the device is synced to the cloud via Bluetooth to a smartphone or via USB to a PC.
“The golf community has been calling out for a product that tracks their game effortlessly, shares results with friends and provides intuitive data with which they can analyze to constantly improve their game — and Game Golf is here to provide that,” said John McGuire, CEO and Co-Founder, Game. “A new era of quantification and gamification is rapidly and radically changing the way we live, work and play. Existing golf technologies only provide technology that helps on the course, but we provide the complete package, giving you everything you need to improve your game and compete before, during and after you take to the course.”
Last Sunday, when 156 of the world’s best golfers gathered together at The Olympic Club Lake course in San Francisco, California, to compete in the 2012 Men’s U.S. Open golf tournament, it signaled the culmination of years of work at The Olympic Club Lake course that included the complete tear-down and reconstruction of all 18 green complexes using Topcon’s precision measurement technology. Webb Simpson took the title, the first major for the Charlotte, North Carolina, resident.
Over the course of many months in 2008 and 2009, all 18 green complexes were completely torn down and rebuilt in preparation for the 2012 U.S. Open. Roundworms were eating away at the greens and drainage needed to be fine-tuned. The challenge was issued: members at the privately held Olympic Club were happy with the slopes and contours of fourteen of the eighteen greens at the Lake course. That meant fourteen greens had to be torn down and rebuilt exactly the same. Every contour, every slope and every shape had to be precisely recreated in order for a golf ball to roll the same.
The Lake Course superintendent Brian Koffler said “the membership washappy with those 14 surfaces. The club was very adamant about putting the exact contours back on those putting surfaces, exactly as-is.”
In order to precisely rebuild the greens, high-precision construction equipment capable of vertical and horizontal measurement precision within six millimeters was required.
Golf course builder Frontier Golf of Jones Mills, Pennsylvania was selected as the contractor to perform the work. Frontier’s support team included Topcon sales consultant Dave Krautz of Productivity Products and Services, Inc (PPS). Krautz recommended Topcon’s high-precision GPS/GNSS receiver technology as well as Topcon’s patented Millimeter GPS laser leveling technology. Krautz recommended Topcon’s Millimeter GPS technology because it improves vertical precision up to 300 percent over existing GPS-based systems.
“The whole process moved much quicker than we originally had planned”, said superintendent Koffler. He said other contractors who had expressed interest in the project were forecasting two to three times the manpower to complete the project than what Frontier accomplished with Topcon equipment.
With the success at the Olympic Club's Lake course, Topcon's Millimeter GPS technology left Nicholas Scigliano, president and CEO of Frontier Golf, suitably impressed. "On our next greens restoration project, I'm going to turn to (Topcon’s) Millimeter GPS right out of the gate. The vertical accuracy is right on," he said. "It's pretty neat stuff," he said of the Lake Course project. "We are doing stuff here that’s unique in our field."
In addition to rebuilding 14 greens, Topcon’s Millimeter GPS technology was used to reshape the 18th green at the Olympic Club Lake course that was the source of controversy at the end of the 1998 U.S. Open. With the pin placed on a ridge at No. 18, a number of putts were rolling well past the pin. As a result, the green was flattened in 2000, but as Koffler explained, Olympic Club members felt it had become a little too flat; it had gone from perhaps too challenging to not challenging enough – they could two-putt from anywhere on the green, so the Olympic Club decided to return some of the challenge on the 18th green.
U‑blox components are at the core of two new GNSS golf products. The golf rangefinder wearables were launched by Voice Caddie, an international brand of rangefinders and trackers based in South Korea.
