[Discussion] Archery & 'Digital' Technology (What could go wrong?)

LionOfNarnia

Supporter
Supporter
So here's this weeks' discussion topic -

IF (World) Archery decided to join the 21st C at last, and permitted anything that modern 'digital technology' could offer (within reason/plausibility) to be used...

What do you think would be the BEST & WORST 'devices' that we could see on our bows/in our quivers/in our pockets/(etc) in the twenties?

I have a few ideas (For recurve ofc), it's something I've been pondering since I saw that there was a more-or-less blanket ban on (personal) electronic devices on the range, but I'd like to hear what others think (& fear) would be the upshot, for any & all disciplines within archery.

Let your imaginations run riot!

(You don't have to design them ;))
 

geoffretired

Supporter
Supporter
Worst device would be a clamp to hold a mobile phone on the bow for compounders to watch you tube arvchery videos when at full draw and pondering over what they should do next.
 

geoffretired

Supporter
Supporter
They can have a mobile phone on a strap round their arm( like a watch). There is no need for the phone to be on a tripod; the phone does not need to be held as steadily as a scope.
I think your idea is great,seriously. It may not catch on at club level, but big comps could use the idea and then it can cascade down to the rest of the archery world. Soon after that, scopes on lines will fall out of favour.
 

4d4m

Active member
Bow mounted screen which displays:

View of target from remote camera as mentioned.
Recognition of your arrows in target
Auto scoring.
Automatic display of centre of group and spread (circle and dot superimposed on image)
Slow mo footage of release from bow mounted cameras
Vibration during and post shot.
Bow movement during shot (did you twist the riser?)
Arrow contact with riser.
Actual measured draw length at release
Electronic tone indicating arrow's proximity to optimum draw (instead of a clicker)
Feedback on your release based on arrow movement during shot
Velocity of last arrow from inbuilt doppler radar chrono, with complete history
Arrow mass from inbuilt scales in arrow rest
Wind sensor
Laser rangefinder
Ballistic computer using wind, range, arrow mass, launch speed to show estimated wind drift and point of impact.
Digital sight with holographic "pin" that shows aim mark according to ballistic computer's trajectory solution. Just put dot on target and shoot.

Just off the top of my head! :D
 

Emmadragon

Supporter
Supporter
AIUK Saviour
Most people I shoot with now use some sort of scoring app on their phones, which I think is a tremendous benefit, but we still have to fill in a paper copy to claim any kind of record, handicap or badge, or in tournament. I'd love to see everyone upgrade fully to an electronic system which would be accepted by judges and record officers.
I also think a camera on the targets to remove the need for scopes would be great, maybe you could log in to a system on your phone to view the feed, rather than requiring clubs to have monitors available.
 

4d4m

Active member
Actually, most of the above could be done by a smartphone with its cameras and accelerometers. A couple of external bluetooth sensors and an app that integrates all the data.
 

geoffretired

Supporter
Supporter
4d4n,You must have a lot of room on/in the top of your head! heehee.
Just to clarify,are you thinking a single item to do all of your ideas, or one for each?
 

geoffretired

Supporter
Supporter
On a serious note, an electronic sight would be useful. I am thinking of those who find they can't quite reach their max range because the normal sight is too close to the arrow, or the arrow is obscuring the gold.
An electronic sight using mobile phone camera, could view the target from a better position( one side of the arrow rather than above) and display the picture to a sight ring screen. It would work like a horizontal periscope.
 

4d4m

Active member
A go pro style camera at the target which broadcast to your mobile device instead of a telescope. Subject to being shot by longbow Archers
Earlier this month I shot at the World Field Target Championships (wftc2019.com) and on two of the lanes there was an experimental setup like this for spectators. A go pro style camera at the target and another pointed at the shooter. The monitor showed the shooter with an inset close up picture of the target. It was a superb addition and the only real drawback was the weather wasn't clement and the monitor was not rainproof.

I'll try and find the YT footage.
 

4d4m

Active member
4d4n,You must have a lot of room on/in the top of your head! heehee.
Just to clarify,are you thinking a single item to do all of your ideas, or one for each?
:) I just like tech and am good at thinking of solutions that involve it. It's my job, though the solutions I'm involved in for work are not as much fun.
As I posted just now, you could actually do most of this with a mobile phone now using different apps, but an app to do it all wouldn't be that hard. There are plenty of "scopecam" apps and rigs for rifle shooting, and there are accelerometer datalogging apps available now. Doppler radar chronos are on the market but a bit big for bow mount, although it should be easy enough to set one on the line just in front of the archer and link via bluetooth.

Hmmm I actually do fancy getting one for my airguns but it would be cool to play with for archery too. And easier to get a reading than the traditional light sensor chronos.

The post was a bit of fun and clearly most of that isn't going to fly for competitions but I can see big training benefits in shot feedback for example. I wonder if near-field chips in the arrow nocks would work... :D
 

Whitehart

Well-known member
A ban on all electronic technology so we can all relax and enjoy our archery, without the distractions of screwing our eyes up looking at a screen, which most of us do 7 days a week, also a chance to get away from social media and engage in a thing called conversation.

Although I do like electronic scoring as seen at big shoots like the National Tour GB Champs etc as it speeds up everything but you still need a paper back up it is all to easy to wipe out data and what happens if the power fails.
 

ben tarrow

Well-known member
Most people I shoot with now use some sort of scoring app on their phones, which I think is a tremendous benefit, but we still have to fill in a paper copy to claim any kind of record, handicap or badge, or in tournament. I'd love to see everyone upgrade fully to an electronic system which would be accepted by judges and record officers.
I also think a camera on the targets to remove the need for scopes would be great, maybe you could log in to a system on your phone to view the feed, rather than requiring clubs to have monitors available.
The big problem I (as club records officer) have with these scoring apps is that the ones I've seen so far allow you to change the scores after the arrows have been recorded and even after the scoresheet has been signed.
Therefore an unscrupulous archer can cheat to their hearts content.
Also, archers arent happy about giving their smart phones to someone else to score their arrows.
Overcome these minor issues and theres a winner.
I know about comps where they hand out smart phones for scoring, but thats sill beyond the means of most clubs I think
 

LionOfNarnia

Supporter
Supporter
LUVVIN' the way your mind is working 4d4m :)

- But why not have the 'display options' via an augmented reality headset?

- with either voice commands or possibly even thought control for changing options?

Having 'timing' displayed could be useful too - my observations are that a lot of club shooters could improve their scoring simply by slowing down a bit!

I think it will be difficult to do much with the arrows themselves, as keeping the weight down is such a prime consideration.

Keep the ideas coming, people - we're not looking for 'cheating', just ways to enhance the archery experience for the 'ordinary' shooter.

(In the army, many lifetimes ago, I was an anti-aircraft missile system technician so I know what's possible in terms of 'impossible accuracy'. I DO NOT want to see archery degraded to the point where it's difficult for even a rookie to miss the gold, the essential skills MUST remain challenging to all.)
 

4d4m

Active member
Curse my lack of imagination! I was trying to keep it within the art of the possible given a smartphone and a few commodity devices.

I like the AR headset idea but I must admit I didn't think of voice control as it's not a tech I'm a particular fan of. Thought control, though strides are being made, is still in the realms of scifi barring implants or wearing special headsets with electrodes. A more practical alternative could be pressure sensitive buttons on the handle, so by varying the hold pressure you could control it all without shifting your grip.
 

LionOfNarnia

Supporter
Supporter
I have a wee bit of an advantage in the VC department, about 7 years ago I spent a year authoring a mod for the swords'n'spells game 'Skyrim' called the Total Voice Control project. The key software (VAC) was written by a dude working to make gaming possible for servicemen who had lost/damaged arms/hands & could not use a mouse & keyboard 'normally'.

Having controls on the bow would risk ruining form I think, plus where the 'eck would you put them?
 

4d4m

Active member
The controls I envisaged are under the archer's fingers when holding the grip and would respond to subtle changes in pressure. Yes, manipulating them during the shot would not be helpful to form but that's not what I had in mind. It was more that the archer could select options during the shot setup process before they start the draw, without having to shift their grip.
 
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