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Details of Grant 

EPSRC Reference: GR/S85474/01
Title: A Laser Based Spin Measurement Device
Principal Investigator: Harland, Professor A
Other Investigators:
Researcher Co-Investigators:
Project Partners:
Department: Sch of Mechanical and Manufacturing Eng
Organisation: Loughborough University
Scheme: First Grant Scheme Pre-FEC
Starts: 01 December 2004 Ends: 31 March 2008 Value (£): 117,846
EPSRC Research Topic Classifications:
Aerodynamics Instrumentation Eng. & Dev.
Lasers & Optics
EPSRC Industrial Sector Classifications:
Sports and Recreation
Related Grants:
Panel History:  
Summary on Grant Application Form
Nearly all ball sports require the participant to hit, kick or throw the ball with a speed and spin-rate determined by the nature of the ball's release. Competitive advantage is gained by those participants who are able to exert the highest degree of control over these variables and consequently the ball's trajectory.In designing implements such as clubs, rackets and bats, sports equipment manufacturers aim to allow the participant to control the speed and spin imparted onto the ball. In order to fully characterise particular pieces of equipment, measurements must be taken to establish the speed and spin with which the ball is projected.Recording such measurements is a major challenge, since all measurements must be taken without making contact with the ball or influencing its trajectory. The majority of current methods employed to measure spin involve marking the surface of the ball and using high-speed video to track the position of the markings on a frame-by-frame basis.However, these markings are likely to influence the flight of the ball through the air, since the airflow across the balls surface is known to be highly dependant on the localised texture of the surface. As the technologies employed in sports ball and implement design become more advanced, the levels of accuracy required in the measurement and analysis of equipment are increased. The proposed device offers a method of recording sports ball spin without the need to contact or mark the balls surface in any way and with a significant increase in measurement accuracy.
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Organisation Website: http://www.lboro.ac.uk