The sensor information acquisition unit acquires an angular velocity around an axis of a shaft portion of an exercise instrument from a sensor unit. An exercise analysis unit detects a timing of an impact of the exercise instrument. A calculation unit calculates a distance between a standard position set on a hitting surface of the exercise instrument and a position of the hitting based on the angular velocity at the time of an impact.

A fitness tracking system for generating movement variables corresponding to movement of a user includes a monitoring device, a personal electronic device, and a remote processing server. The monitoring device is configured to be worn or carried by the user and includes a movement sensor configured to collect movement data. The personal electronic device is operably connected to the monitoring device. At least one of the personal electronic device and the monitoring device is configured to calculate feature data by applying a set of rules to the movement data, to calculate raw speed data corresponding to a speed of the user from the subset of the movement data, and to calculate raw distance data corresponding to a distance moved by the user from the subset of the movement data. The remote processing server includes a machine learning model for processing at least the feature data.

A method for estimating information on a golf swing is provided. The method includes the steps of: estimating a three-dimensional position of at least one joint of a user, when two or more two-dimensional photographed images of the user's golf swing taken from different directions are acquired, by deriving probability information on a two-dimensional position of the at least one joint of the user from each of the two or more two-dimensional photographed images using an artificial neural network model, and combining the derived probability information on the two-dimensional position of the at least one joint; and estimating information on the user's golf swing with reference to the estimated three-dimensional position of the at least one joint.

The invention relates to social activities typically based on physical manipulation of objects to achieve an objective common to the participants or to allow participants to engage in distinct activities on a shared field of play, part of which is physical and part of which is virtual and rendered on one or more displays. The invention provides a system and method to enable multiple participants (users) to engage in the activity sequentially or simultaneously, based on the context and objectives of the game. The activity includes one or many shared physical environments modeled on a computing system and displayed, in high fidelity, by one or more projectors or screens.

An apparatus for demonstrating how golf balls interact with golf clubs includes a downswing plane, a club shaft attached to the downswing plane, a golf club head attached to the club shaft, and a collision-plane indicator attached to the golf club head wherein the collision-plane indicator illustrates the plane created by two intersecting lines that are in the direction of the path and the direction of the club face. Preferably, the downswing plane has an adjustable angle, and preferably the downswing plane swivels. Preferably the club shaft is pivotally attached to the downswing plane. Preferably the apparatus includes a removable golf ball with a spin axis through the middle of the ball, and with a black line across the middle of the ball that indicates spin direction perpendicular to the ball's spin axis.

In a first aspect, a system for monitoring a swing is provided that includes (1) a swing measurement device adapted to couple to a swinging object and to output a signal indicative of a characteristic of the swinging object; (2) a wireless transmitter coupled to the swing measurement device and adapted to wirelessly transmit the signal output by the swing measurement device; and (3) a wireless device adapted to receive the wirelessly transmitted signal and to provide information regarding the swinging object based on the received signal. The wireless device is a cellular telephone or personal digital assistant (PDA). Numerous other aspects are provided.

A system and method for analyzing and improving the performance of a body motion, which requires receiving, by a CPU, sensor data from sensors worn by a user; storing the transmitted sensor data in a data buffer; recognizing that a motion gesture occurred based on a signature of acceleration data in the buffered sensor data, extracting from the data buffer sensor data from a predetermined time window around the moment when the motion gesture occurred; automatically generating a regime file customized for the user based on the extracted sensor data, and generating in real-time a user interface displaying a representation corresponding to the motion indicated by the sensor data, wherein the CPU determines the signature of acceleration data by matching the buffered sensor data with stored motion signatures, wherein the regime file is automatically generated based on diagnostic parameters obtained from the sensor data associated with a motion activity category.

An apparatus for natural torso and limbs tracking and feedback for electronic interaction with fall safety support. The apparatus comprises a body harness worn on the body of a user, a support structure designed to bear the weight of the user in the event of a stumble, trip, or fall, and a plurality of tethers attached at one end to the harness and at the other end to the support structure. One or more sensors are integrated into the system to measure aspects of the user's movement and used as input to control a computer system. In the event of stumble, trip, or fall, all of, or a portion of, the user's body weight is borne by the tethers as a safety mechanism to prevent injury. The system is designed to be used with virtual reality systems wherein the user's vision is blocked or obscured by a virtual reality visor.

A climbing exercise apparatus having ipsilateral and contralateral modes of operation may include a frame supporting movable generally vertically oriented members. The vertically oriented members may include arm and foot support members rotatably connected to carriage members movably supported on the frame. The climbing exercise apparatus may include three-dimensional movement capabilities for a user's arms and feet to move through three dimensional paths of motion during an exercise activity.

A system for optimizing weight distribution of a golf club including a weight receiving grip, the weight receiving grip configured to be affixed to a proximal end of a golf club shaft, wherein the weight receiving grip comprises a generally tubular member comprising a shaft bore configured to surround a proximal portion of the shaft, wherein the weight receiving grip comprises a weight retention portion at a proximal end of the weight receiving grip, the weight retention portion configured to engage a weight member, a grip expanding tool configured to deflect a portion of the weight receiving grip facilitating installation or removal of the weight members from the weight receiving grip.