Development of Personal Training Robot Integrating Electric Vehicle Charging Robot
360-Degree Parking View Monitor and Outdoor Training Camera
AI-Based Video Motion Amplification Technology Development Targeted for Second Half of the Year
The South Korean national archery team dominated all events at the 2024 Paris Olympics with overwhelming skill. Behind the historic achievement of South Korean archery, which won five gold medals, lies a hidden supporter. Hyundai Motor Group has been sponsoring South Korean archery for 40 years since 1985. Hyundai Motor Group has been supporting archers' scientific training by providing advanced technology through its automotive research and development (R&D) capabilities.
Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Chung Eui-sun (center, gray T-shirt), the South Korean national archery team, and officials from the Archery Association are posing for a commemorative photo on the 4th (local time) in Paris, showing five fingers right after sweeping all events at the tournament. [Photo by Korea Archery Association]
Electric Vehicle Charging Robot Technology... Shooting Robot for Individual Training
First, Hyundai Motor Group has considerable R&D capabilities not only in automotive technology but also in robotics. Utilizing this, Hyundai Motor Group developed a shooting robot for individual archery training. This device allows archers to simulate real matches anytime without an opponent.
The shooting robot uses real-time control software and sensors for wind direction, temperature, and humidity to measure external environmental variables, then precisely adjusts the aiming point to improve accuracy. Except for the influence of wind, there are almost no error factors, achieving an average hit rate of over 9.65 points. Additionally, by using a high-performance computer, it ensures rapid equipment responsiveness, enabling quick aiming and shooting within the actual competition regulation time of 20 seconds.
Shooting robot for personal training developed by Hyundai Motor Group [Photo by Korea Archery Association]
Hyundai Motor Group borrowed technology from its electric vehicle automatic charging robot to develop the shooting robot. For an electric vehicle to charge automatically, it must open the charging port, recognize the socket with a camera, and insert the charging connector into the socket with the appropriate force and direction. This series of processes is similar to aiming and shooting a bow in archery.
Inspired by this, Hyundai Motor Group succeeded in developing the shooting robot for archery training. This robot was deployed in the national team’s second special match held at the Jincheon Training Center in early July and is evaluated to have contributed to enhancing the athletes’ practical sense just before the Paris Games.
360-Degree Surround View Monitor... Reborn as a Multi-Camera for Outdoor Training
Cars have a '360-degree surround view' monitor function for parking assistance. Hyundai Motor Group took inspiration from this feature to create a 'multi-camera for outdoor training' that allows athletes to analyze their shooting posture during individual training.
This equipment captures the athlete from two angles?above the head and front?and outputs the feedback video split on a monitor. This enables athletes to monitor their posture from multiple angles. The time difference between the athlete’s actual movement and the feedback video can be set from 0 to 9 seconds, and a four-level slow-motion function is supported to analyze posture in slow mode.
Considering outdoor training, the device is equipped with off-road wheels for easy mobility, and to ensure visibility under strong sunlight, it features a 35-inch high-brightness industrial monitor supporting a maximum brightness of 1500 nits (1 nit equals the brightness of one candle).
Multi-camera system for outdoor training developed by Hyundai Motor Group [Photo by Korea Archery Association]
3D Printing Equipment on Demand
In automotive development, 3D printers that produce desired objects in three dimensions are widely used. Hyundai Motor Group actively introduced 3D printing to produce equipment optimized for each athlete.
First, a portable bow inspection device was introduced to check for bow damage that is difficult to detect with the naked eye. To verify bow performance, the tension of the arrow (restoring force generated when pulling the string) must be measured, but existing tension meters were large and heavy. Small portable meters lacked precision.
Therefore, Hyundai Motor Group produced a portable tension meter that reduces volume by being foldable while maintaining performance. Major parts were made using a 3D printer, significantly reducing weight compared to existing equipment. Thanks to this, athletes can carry the portable bow inspection device to the competition venue even just before matches, enabling constant equipment checks.
Another piece of equipment incorporating 3D printing technology is a customized grip for athletes. Typically, the grip?the part of the arrow shaft held by hand?needs to be tailored to each athlete’s hand, but Hyundai Motor Group produces grips perfectly fitting each athlete’s hand using 3D printing. They also developed grips made from Alumide material, which offers excellent rigidity and wear resistance, making them lightweight and less slippery.
Hyundai Motor Group supports 3D printing manufacturing technology to create customized grips for archery athletes [Photo by Korea Archery Association]
AI-Based Video Motion Amplification Technology, Development Completion Targeted for Second Half of This Year
Hyundai Motor Group continues to dedicate efforts to developing technologies for future archery competitions. In particular, they are advancing research on 'AI-based video motion amplification technology,' aiming to complete development in the second half of this year.
This technology detects minute equipment defects that are difficult to spot with the naked eye through artificial intelligence (AI). In archery, the movements of various equipment during shooting are captured by high-speed cameras, and AI is used to detect subtle tremors and inspect equipment performance.
The Archery Association plans to use this technology for off-aim training, which determines how much the aiming point should be adjusted when external variables such as wind act. The method involves analyzing shooting videos captured by high-speed cameras with AI, comparing the aiming point position of the bow with the results on the target. This allows objective quantitative data to be obtained on how much off-aim adjustment is needed to hit the center of the target, moving beyond relying on intuition when the wind blows.
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