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.

A system and method for practicing golf, specifically for putting and chipping of a golf ball. The system utilizes a plurality of measuring members to determine a fall line and a curved line displaying of the best path of the ball based on the slope and measured distance from the golf ball on a green to the golf cup. Additional devices can be used alone or in coordination with the system to assist with the practicing.

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 muscle activating and exercising device and a method of activating and exercising muscles of the human body. The device includes an outer material and at least one flexible inner material. The device is an elongated device that is pliable enough to be wrapped around an object. The device also has an outer surface that creates a frictional fit between the device and the wrapped object. The wrapped object could be, for example, a wrist or ankle on a human limb or a location on a portion of sports equipment (e.g., a lacrosse stick, baseball bat, hockey stick, golf club or tennis racket). The method includes a method of activating muscles using the device. Through such a method, a user can, for example. build muscle strength and/or reduce muscle tremors.

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.

A sports ball is configured to enhance detection of spin properties by radar. The ball includes a spherical body having a first reflectivity with respect to radiation generated by a radar to be used in detecting spin of the ball. In addition, the ball includes a plurality of markers. Each of the markers has a second reflectivity with respect to the radiation generated by a radar to be used in detecting spin of the ball. The second reflectivity is different from the first reflectivity. The markers are distributed on the ball so that every great circle extending around an exterior surface of the ball is within a distance d of a projection on the exterior surface of the ball of at least one of the markers. The distance d is less than a radius of the ball.

A method may include receiving a group of images taken by a camera over time in an environment, in which the camera may be oriented within the environment to capture images of an object in a substantially same direction as a launch direction of the object, and the group of images including a first image and a second image. The method may further include: identifying a first position of the object in the first image; identifying a second position of the object in the second image; generating a flight vector based on the first position of the object and the second position of the object; and determining one or more flight parameters using the flight vector. Additionally, the method may include: generating a simulated trajectory of the object based on the flight parameters; and providing the simulated trajectory of the object for presentation in a graphical user interface.

Provided is an impact point estimation apparatus that is capable of estimating, easily and with high accuracy, an impact point on a face surface of a golf club head at the time of a golf swing. The impact point estimation apparatus includes an acquisition part configured to acquire time-series sensor data that is output from at least one of an angular velocity sensor and an acceleration sensor attached to at least one of a grip and a shaft of a golf club and an estimation part configured to estimate the impact point, according to a shaft characteristic which is a characteristic of the shaft, based on the sensor data.

The present embodiments provide systems and methods for aggregating measurements captured by different technologies during a golf swing. By capturing measurements using different technologies, more accurate measurements may be provided to a user by selecting from the measurements, offsetting measurements based on the technologies used, and aligning measurements between devices. Further, by aggregating measurements received from different devices, additional features and functionality may be provided to the user that is absent from any one device used alone. Additionally, by storing the aggregated measurements, users, club fitters and instructors may access and leverage larger databases of measurements to better understand the user's golf swing and to provide better recommendations and instruction to the user.

A golf ball pickup tool is provided. The golf ball pickup tool can be extended to an appropriate length when picking up a golf ball and can be shortened when carrying. The grip 10 is sized so as to accommodate holder pieces 11a and 11b that are slidable along the slide guide 17. The holder pieces 11a and 11 b are joined and fixed to each other at one ends thereof and are urged so as to close the other ends. A golf ball is held between the other ends of the holder pieces 11a and 11b in the state of the holder pieces 11a and 11b being taken out of the grip 10.