Hey Guys, For my Tech Design Project, im trying to convince my teacher to allow me to make an automatic badminton bird launcher. In essecene, it would be a bird launcher that would allow for overhead shots or straight shots for drives. However, my teacher is very skeptical cuz i have to prove this satisfies a need/ I need more research/more explanation of feasible possibilities. Ive seen one on TV where it was showcasing an international badmitnon training facility (in Denmark???) so if anyone of you have seen one or have any ideas how it could work or anything basically then if you could tell me thatd be great. Im really excited to do this project so hopefully i can come up with some more research and arguments to make it Thanks
I've wondered about that. As I see it there are 2 possiblities; 1) Mimic a racquet and forearm, with a shuttle dropped in front of it. This would probably require some embedded computer or controller - to vary the speed of the shuttle, the speed of the racquet head would need to change, so the moment that the shuttle needs to be released would vary. Furthermore, to change the shuttle's trajectory or to mimic different shots (drives vs clears) the point of impact, and hence the position of release of the shuttle would need to vary. This would be both non-trivial to design, from both the mechanical and control perspective. 2) Use air pressure to shoot the shuttle out of a tube. The trajectory should be fairly easy to alter - as long as you can vary the height and angle of the tube, there aren't any other mechanical problems. The speed of the bird could be altered by changing the pressure. The potential problems with this approach are threefold. Firstly, you've got to design an autofeeder that feeds a shuttle into the tube. (Not as easy as simply dropping a shuttle). Secondly, I'm not sure how much pressure is needed to launch a shuttle with any realistic speed. A shuttle has more friction against a tube than a ball, and is full of holes too. Thirdly, it isn't a good model of what really happens in badminton. Normally the cork's momentum is pulling against the feathers - here you are asking the feathers to push the cork out of the tube. Any spin imparted to the shuttle will be reverse to a normal spin, and during flight it's going to start to correct itself, so the net result is likely to be similar to zero spin, and a poor flight pattern as a result. I've never seen one before. Which method did the Denmark demo use?
Just a little skeptic, sorry... Hows this launcher gonna cost? I mean the whole thing? plus the maintenance, electricity and how large and heavy it is? is it gonna be portable that you can just push or pull it around or you have to hire some people to assemble and dismantle it just to move it? if so, how many people you gonna hire to move it around and maintain it? and how much space it's gonna eat up (most badminton court is so crowded already) and if it broke are their parts readily available? what can the launcher do besides fast drives and overheads? can it do a steep smash? a deceptive play? etc. etc. Will setting the machine in different angle eat most of your court time? If its a robotic arm what racket will it use and what tension? and what if the swinging machine runs wild and injure someone? besides the space of the machine what is the safe perimeter around it? And provided all goes well how much will the owner of the badminton court charge it's customer since he have to gain it's investment back (machine and electricity plus maintenance) not to mention an extra machine occupying the other side of the court means 1 less customer. or it's just better to hire a teacher? he's the launcher, he picks up the birdie and he give you good tips and advices on everything, how to handle the racket, shadow steps, balance etc... And plus he can be a good companion and a friend and a real bonus if she's attractive... and oh you'll be helping a person earns extra cash... sorry just bringing up my ideas, coz i don't think it's feasible...
I remember seeing the denmark video on BF last year. It was posted quite a few times and i'm sure you'll find it if you search. I think it costsed $15-20,000 dollars.
Its already available. It was demonstrated in the recent World Championship 03 in Birmingham. The machine can feed all over the court, a drop close to the net, a smash, a flat shot, a pressure shot or as a high shot to the baseline. It can feed that you know where the shuttle is coming (technique training) or that you don’t know where the shuttle is coming (physical training). The machine runs by a user-friendly operator terminal that give alternatives for both the trainer and the player for varying badminton training. Load one of the pre-programmed training programs or make an own stroke of shots, select interval training, adjust the speed etc etc. The magazine contains 6 dozen shuttlecocks that can be reloading while the machine is running for none stop feeding. This is excellent for defensive training, multi feeding etc. etc. Maximum speed is 1,1 second between the shuttles and are adjustable with 0,1 sec up to 4.0 seconds. The machine is driven by electricity and compressed air. It is made according to industrial norms and will offer many years service with low or no maintenance.
Its from Sweden if i'm not mistaken. I don't know how much it cost. The cons of this machine is that you have to get a special stand to make full use of the feeder. to put the feeder higher maybe around 6 feet higher for smashes etc.
If it uses compressed air, then that means the pressure is on the feathers, which is like hitting the bird in the feathers. Won't the machine chew through birds after a few rounds?
Nope..its because there is a feeder into a pipe and the compress air will be release. just imagine you are blowing a dart from a blowpipe. Your Shuttle will not be chewed.
I dont think most individuals will not buy it unless if they have too much money to spend. but i think badminton clubs or badminton trainers would buy it to train their players. It is a good investment though.
The feeder allows the trainer to work with more people so a gym could recover the cost within a year. For us players, it's probably not cost-effective.
Yeh, if i ever become super rich (unlikely) i'll be first in the queue to buy one. It would great to be able to practice anytime.
i believe ants says minimum 1.1 seconds between shuttle launch. 0.1 sec will be a badminton shuttle machine gun.
There is one of those in the badminton academy in Glasgow, it makes a hell of a noise when fired, or was that the player trying to get to the shuttle? It was probably lottery funded. I don't think our national badminton body would pay that amount of money for it, but in saying that the centre is state of the art.
Yeah, I would assume it'd cost a ton of money just for one of those. Seems like it'd be quite useful for an individual wanting to practice on his/her own. It makes me wonder whether or not we'll see those at every badminton training club in the future and whether or not they'll have programmable features like "game situations".
ants and dill, if you could find out anymore information persay as to how it works, or how they solve the problem of feeding/serving/making different shots id be in your debt forever. Also if anyone knows the websit or email of anyone who owns or makes theses...cuz it is feasible now just going tobe hard to make so
It works as per Ants description above, If you need to change the shot the machine regulates the burst of air that carries the shuttle to alter the trajectories and simulate different shots.
What condition do the shuttles have to be? Can old shuttles be used? If it runs on compressed air, does that mean special compressed air cylinders need to be attached to the machine (these cylinders are very heavy)?
