I'm working on a project and hoping to get some insight from the community! I’m trying to build a pressure-sensitive baseball that can detect impact force (how hard the ball is being gripped while thrown). I came across the 1-inch Shunt Mode Force Sensing Resistor (FSR) from Sensitronics (and wondered if anyone has used this type of sensor for dynamic impact measurement?)
My goal is to embed the FSR (or other sensor) inside or just under the outer skin of the baseball and have it recorded/transmitted out by a Nano or similar. I have found a research team that has done something similar here:
I want to recreate this and increase the total surface area where grip force is measured.
A few questions:
- Is Shunt Mode sensitive and fast enough for impact measurement?
- Would I need any additional circuitry for noise reduction or better resolution? I really need to keep the weight/dimensions of the ball the same. I was thinking of 3d printing a new "core" for the baseball with the Nano/Sensor/Battery.
- Are there other sensor types you’d recommend that are a better fit.
Thank you for your time!
Most people use a high-g accelerometer to detect and measure forces. I doubt very much that a force-sensitive resistor would be useful as they are not quantitative.
In either case you also need a microprocessor, a battery and some way of storing and communicating the data, so this is an advanced project.
Do the research and groundwork before worrying about how to get stuff into a baseball.
You also need to be clear on some basic concepts concepts in physics and measurement: the force accelerating a baseball while being thrown has little to do with "how hard the ball is being gripped".
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Those are TWO DIFFERENT forces! Which are you actually trying to measure? What type of baseball are you going to modify? A cheap copy of a real major league ball or modify a the real ball. Once modified it will NEVER act like an unmodified ball.
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I appreciate the response; perhaps I should work on the wording of what I hope to accomplish. The research team in the image I attached did essentially what I hope to do (albeit with smaller sensors), but did not provide much detail as to how
I misspoke there; I am simply trying to measure the grip force imparted on the ball while it is being pitched. In the study I linked in the original post, the researchers have done a pretty good job at modifying a ball that they believe behaves very similar to an original ball. I am trying to emulate that deconstructing a real ball and increasing the surface area covered by sensors if possible.
So, then you have already learned how to do the modification. How do you intend to extend that modification to get your needed results?
First, build and test the researcher's prototype. When you have verified that it works and gives usable data, only then are you in a position to modify the design.
Highly recommend that you read the two guides offered by Tekscan
