Advice for a Design Project

Hi everyone,

Im currently a student at the UNSW here in Sydney and this semester we have to design a project.

At the moment I was thinking of designing a project thats got something to do with boxing. When boxer-A successfully punches his opponent in the head, provided that his opponent was wearing a head gear. A point would come up in a counter for the boxer-A. i.e. 5 punches to the head = 5 points.

I was thinking of maybe putting pressure sensors on the head gear or maybe even on the gloves? Im not quite sure how to start or if this project is even feasible for a university student. So i thought id seek some advice from better experienced people here on this forum. Any help in pointing me in the right direction would be much appreciated.

Cheers

Hi Gerald,

Interesting project. There are a few ways to do this, simple point system would only require sensor point or flex sensors at the point of contact.

I would use flex as it would measure the amount of pressure at the best contact point and if the point is further from the centre then the flex sensor would give a different reading. Flex sensors are very flat so are easy hidden without a bulge that could injure the person if a jab directly to the point of contact. There are loads of different sensor, force sensor give a great reading on the amount of impact but may not give a good reading a few centimetres around the sensor.

The idea would depend on the final outcome of the project. If you wanted to measure the hand hitting the point then sensor in the hand and the chest for eg. would be more appropriate to measure actual punch hitting the chest. If you used a single sensor in the chest and the person fell on the ground after 1 hit, the sensor would record 2 hits, one from the punch and one from the hit to the ground.

Trial and error will be the best way to get the best outcome, first on paper to reduce the list.

Good luck with it.

Thank you so much Malcolm, thats REALLY helpful. Up to this point i had no idea what a flex sensor was. Thank you.

By the way, when you said I would use flex sensors as it would measure the amount of pressure at the best contact point...''" where were u referring to? The sensor in the glove or the sensor in the head gear? So is the idea that when a flex sensor comes in contact with another flex sensor, one of the flex sensor sends a signal?


Thanks Again

How about choosing a sport that does not encourage bullying and sadism ?

Or how about an x-y-z accelerometer IC in each glove. Assuming the accelerometer can produce enough data (i.e. react fast enough) for the dynamics to be worked out using calculus and kinematics, you could get a very clear picture of the whole swing and impact. Or, just the impact, using the impulse data caused by the hit.

Would it be easier to use an accelerometer? Then you would have more flexibility in sensor placement?

Get one (or a few) and experiment! Part of the educational value of doing a project, is exposure to the whole R&D aspect of engineering! Also, you now have a tool that I never had, "back in the day": the Internet! Let Google help you avoid reinventing the wheel -- see if anyone else has done this and was kind enough to publish their results. And, then, there is always the library (gasp!). Search for articles in past science and engineering periodicals regarding the use of sensors in boxing related environments (or any kind of impact sensing application).

What about the one _being_ bullied? I was one of those on the other end of the bully's fist. Taking karate put an end to that! In fact, there is a bit _less_ violence in the world, because of my fighting skills ;)

Do you, Frank, have any exposure to the world of boxing (especially at the neighborhood gym) -- me neither--other than what I've seen in various documentaries -- judging by them, it ain't all bad In fact, I once had a men's group leader that told us stories of his boxing experiences in the Navy. The way he painted it, boxing is more about conquering ones own fears rather than beating up someone else. Not all boxing is done in this spirit but when it is, the opponent is held in great respect for providing the opportunity for growth and self mastery.

It's like in Aikido [also practiced by the author]. Aikido, in it's purest form (as introduced by Morihei Ueshiba) is only defense [actually it isn't, really, even that--it's more like preventing violence until the opponent is either exhausted or comes to their senses ;]. Because there is no _offense_ in pure Aikido, the only way to practice it, is if someone agrees to assume the role of the attacker. When being an attacker (or the "Uke"), one is not practicing Aikido, so it is a revered sacrifice.

Boxing can be similar. The attacker merely provides the opportunity for self mastery.

Yes, what about using an accelerometer? You should only need one in the headgear, rather than the opponent's gloves.

You'd have to calibrate it so that simple head movements are not counted ...

Since accelerometers are built into some smartphones these days, you might even be able to kludge up a prototype designed around a phone app. Might be hard on the phone, though!

Hi Gerald, I live in Perth so difficult to co-ordinate timing to view post. Also there is nothing I can see to notify me via email when a response to a post is.

Flex sensors is only one solution, there are many potential solutions. I only thought of flex sensors as I am considering a project using them but there a many other alternatives.

In your situation I was thinking about place flex sensor in a cross so that it can detect a central hit and around the sensor would give a different reading for each sensor. There is so many things to think about that I would consider.

One thing I learnt in my first year is processes to gather the information needed to create a project. I am not sure if you learn this in first year or whatever but it is very helpful.

Consider the pro's and cons for each sensor described in this post. Accelerometers are a good option but they may have protrusions that can cause injury to the person wearing them. Maybe a series of sensor are needed for a really good application.

In boxing there are many hits that are taken by the opponent but not all will score so possibly locating multiple sensor in various positions are needed to produce the right data needed to score.

I am not really interested in boxing so I cannot go too much further with information but there are many things to consider when engineering a solution and fair amount of research is needed both in the electronics but also the sport itself.

Good luck with it.

bq). Accelerometers are a good option but they may have protrusions that can
cause injury to the person wearing them. Maybe a series of sensor are needed
for a really good application.

There are accelerator chips that are quire small, and thin, plus that can be mounted on the side(s) of the glove or even deep inside. The concern about "protrusions", I think is unfounded as long as a little thought goes into their placement. They only need to be in the region that is being accelerated.

bq). In boxing there are many hits that are taken by the opponent but not all will score so possibly locating multiple sensor in various positions are needed to produce the right data needed to score.

Perhaps a sensor in the glove and in the helmet, and then correlate the impulse data to determine who hit what.

Who needs boxing or karate with the net Don’t need to anymore lets face it one internet one messages , one picture , multiple operatives throughout the country simply put that person out of society full stop

Cant do any shopping cant get any work and cant go out anywhere end of story and if you really need to place a tag on him / her such that its sounds the alrm system contacting all neighboring security operatives within 5 milliseconds under extreme circumstances put an internet enabled lock on the door

Very easy to deal with no force required ( That’s what I call the way of the empty hand unless of course your attacked in the street well different story then carry a can of UV spray paint or deodorant soon does the job ) marked for life anywhere in the globe

So easy these days to do

Before you even ask Yes I would and I can do an awful lot more than just that just by using brains No brawn required one simple key of a mobile phone or independant communications button withing six milliseconds I can have every country the world aware even across LED displays all via networking in an instant All fully automated no stopping this at all Inckusive automatic uploading of webpages with photos details addresses phone numbers the lot I dont have to be there to do this manually Fully automated

Who needs boxing Just simply box them in Brains you see not brawn always wins Always !! The button has got this text on you see its says " Dont push me man " " Dont even go there Pal " , chuckle chuckle

Its a bit like that red telephone in the Presidents office Only I dont need autherisation to launch missile attack , Correct I dont need that authority thats where im better than the President of the USA