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From: satvinder on 13 Feb 2010 15:32
hi, im a final year university student studying mechanical engineering. For my final year project i have to devise an experiment to show how accelerometers can be used to create a device to aid a boxer in terms of feedback.

i plan to do this by placing accelerometers on the puchbag and then striking it with a giant pendulum from varying angles and mass's, but i have been told that i have to incorperate maths and matlab(which is alien to me). i have to take results from my experiment then construct a mathematical model in matlab, where in theory if i plug in values for the accelerometers, it should tell me where the punchbag was struck.

i would sincerly appreciate if someone could please help me on this matter and give me advice on how how to go about it.

thankyou

Mr. Singh
From: Rune Allnor on 13 Feb 2010 16:59
On 13 Feb, 21:32, "satvinder " <satvinder_san...(a)hotmail.com> wrote:
> hi, im a final year university student studying mechanical engineering. For my final year project i have to devise an experiment to show how accelerometers can be used to create a device to aid a boxer in terms of feedback.
>
> i plan to do this by placing accelerometers on the puchbag and then striking it with a giant pendulum from varying angles and mass's, but i have been told that i have to incorperate maths and matlab(which is alien to me). i have to take results from my experiment then construct a mathematical model in matlab, where in theory if i plug in values for the accelerometers, it should tell me where the punchbag was struck.
>
> i would sincerly appreciate if someone could please help me on this matter and give me advice on how how to go about it.

Well... the requirements seem to be that:

1) Show *how* (as opposed to if) accelerometer data are
useful to boxers
2) Mount the accelerometers in the punchbag, which is a
very efficient absorbent of shocks - that's why boxers
use them at all
3) Hit the punchbag with an object
4) Incorporate matlab into all this

I don't know - use a PC with matlab installed as the
object with which you hit the punchbag?

Seriously, it shouldn't take that much: Use some device
to record the data, upload to matlab and then plot.
If you are desperate for maths, integrate the data once
or twice, to get velocities and displacements.

I don't think there is much more to suggest up front.
It really depends what you would be looking for.
Characterizing punch forces might be very hard; giving
feedback on punch rates (times between punches) might
be more convenient, from a measurement perspective.
And maybe even useful to the boxer. Punch rates monitored
over time might tell him something about developments and
changes in stamina etc.

Rune
From: Steve Amphlett on 15 Feb 2010 02:53
"satvinder " <satvinder_sandhu(a)hotmail.com> wrote in message <hl7285$bdp$1(a)fred.mathworks.com>...
> hi, im a final year university student studying mechanical engineering. For my final year project i have to devise an experiment to show how accelerometers can be used to create a device to aid a boxer in terms of feedback.
>
> i plan to do this by placing accelerometers on the puchbag and then striking it with a giant pendulum from varying angles and mass's, but i have been told that i have to incorperate maths and matlab(which is alien to me). i have to take results from my experiment then construct a mathematical model in matlab, where in theory if i plug in values for the accelerometers, it should tell me where the punchbag was struck.
>
> i would sincerly appreciate if someone could please help me on this matter and give me advice on how how to go about it.
>
> thankyou
>
> Mr. Singh

Seems fairly simple to me. If two accelerometers are horizontal and not collinear, you can extract 2D motion of the bag. If you have a third accelerometer, you could extract 3D motion. You'd need a bit of trig (maths) and some matrix manipulation (Matlab).
From: John D'Errico on 15 Feb 2010 06:54
"satvinder " <satvinder_sandhu(a)hotmail.com> wrote in message <hl7285$bdp$1(a)fred.mathworks.com>...
> hi, im a final year university student studying mechanical engineering. For my final year project i have to devise an experiment to show how accelerometers can be used to create a device to aid a boxer in terms of feedback.
>
> i plan to do this by placing accelerometers on the puchbag and then striking it with a giant pendulum from varying angles and mass's, but i have been told that i have to incorperate maths and matlab(which is alien to me). i have to take results from my experiment then construct a mathematical model in matlab, where in theory if i plug in values for the accelerometers, it should tell me where the punchbag was struck.
>
> i would sincerly appreciate if someone could please help me on this matter and give me advice on how how to go about it.
>

I wanted to try this out to help the OP. Really, I did.
So I installed matlab on a computer that I then put
inside a bag, with the accelerometers. See, I did not
have a long enough cable to connect the accelerometer
directly to my computer otherwise. Then I let a 100
pound test weight swing repeatedly against the bag.
I wanted to get a lot of data.

Now my computer no longer works properly. It makes
funny sounds when I plug it in, and smoke rises from
the monitor. That crack in the monitor does not look
quite normal either. What is wrong? Can anybody help
me?

Seriously, nobody can help you, at least not much.
You profess not to know matlab, so it is now time to
learn. You need to find out how to gather the data
from the accelerometer. Then you need to understand
the data, as well as models for what is happening. So
gather your data, then PLOT IT. Look at it. Think
about models for the data. After all, this is why you
have been assigned this project, to get you to think
and learn.

All the help you need is inside your own head.

John
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