Recreating the Trajectory of a Golf Swing Using a Microelectromechanical System

In the game of golf, practicing and improving the swing is a fundamental part of learning. Unfortunately, analyzing one\u27s swing and all of its features is a costly and difficult task as it involves high speed cameras or the assistance of a coach. This paper presents a novel approach to golf swing analysis using a microelectromechanical system containing sensors that are attached to a golf club. This novel hardware system has been constructed using commercially available components. A displacement estimation algorithm compensates for the errors of the MEMS sensors. The raw data from the sensors is processed using a sensor fusion orientation estimation algorithm and the displacement estimation algorithm. Finally an application has been developed to help visualize the trajectory of the golf swing and give feedback on the swing\u27s key features. The hardware prototype built for the purpose has 9 degrees of freedom, communicates wirelessly and has expandable storage. Because it is both an attitude and heading reference system and an inertial measurement unit its use could be extended to other sports or applications