Kinect comes to the aid of golfers
Virtual golfers may be eagerly anticipating the upcoming EA Sports PGA Tour for Xbox One, which is slated to include Kinect for Windows motion controls. But real golfers—the ones who actually hit the links—don’t have to wait to enjoy the golfing benefits of Kinect. They can use the power of the Kinect sensor to capture, analyze, and improve their golf swing, thanks to two golf-swing analysis products from Belgium-based Guru Training Systems: My Swinguru and Swinguru Pro.
My Swinguru
Designed for use by serious amateur golfers, My Swinguru detects flaws in the user’s golf swing and offers remedies. The golfer simply takes a swing in front of the Kinect sensor, which captures the entire motion in 3D. There are no wires or markers to interfere with the golfer’s swing—just one Kinect sensor that provides state-of-the-art, three-dimensional motion capture.
[View:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QmiORXkSNCs]
Designed for use by amateur golfers, My Swinguru uses a single Kinect sensor to capture the golfer's
swing in three dimensions.
The data collected by the Kinect sensor is crunched by a Windows PC running the Swinguru software, which uses a unique combination of synchronized 2D and 3D captures to measure key elements of the swing at any moment, something not possible with traditional video techniques. The golfer receives immediate feedback that detects flaws and recommends remedial drills. And My Swinguru automatically records the golfer’s swings for comparative replay.
Swinguru Pro
Designed for use by professional golf instructors, Swinguru Pro provides simultaneous top, side, and front views on the same screen. Pause, forward, and back controls allow instructors to drill down frame-by-frame. Each training session, with all its swing data, is automatically saved, so it can be replayed and compared to earlier or later sessions. The Pro version also allows swing motions to be recorded as a series of pictures, which enables a sophisticated “match-your-posture” function. This function freezes the golfer’s set up, 9 o’clock, and top-of-backswing positions for comparison and direct feedback. In addition, Swinguru Pro provides balance tracking, including a view that shows the golfer’s center of mass displacement during the swing. It also includes automated drawing tools, which make it easy for users to compare body position in swing after swing.
[View:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MxZ-5WLuVwM]
As demonstrated in this video, Swinguru Pro provides additional analyses for use by teaching professionals.
Like My Swinguru, it uses just one Kinect sensor, which enables wireless motion capture.
Enhanced with Kinect for Windows v2
Initially developed for use with the original Kinect for Windows sensor, both versions of Swinguru have now been adapted for use with Kinect for Windows v2. Guru Training Systems CEO Sabastien Wulf is delighted with the improvements enabled by the new sensor. “The Kinect v2 sensor is a revolution for our use in sports motion analysis. Not only does the v2 sensor use a wider angle time-of-flight camera, which allows us to reduce the minimum distance from the sensor for full body tracking, it also increases the image resolution tremendously, which enables a much enhanced user experience. What’s more, its new infrared time-of-flight depth sensor, combined to its new infrared illuminator, makes it so much more resistant to direct sunlight for 3D full body tracking.”
With help from Kinect for Windows and Swinguru, this golf season could be your best yet.
The Kinect for Windows Team
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