Newbie questions

Hello all,

I'm brand new here and looking for information. I apologize in advance for the questions I ask if they seem elementary and boring. I am not an engineer and have no knowledge of anything related. I'm most likely in the wrong forum and if someone could point me in the right direction, I will gladly post elsewhere.

I want to start a small project that involves building something similar to this..... Interactive Football with Kick Star - Fitness Gaming

Clearly it uses some sort of a resistance or force sensor that transmits a signal to the main computer and displays a number. What type of sensor would I be looking for? Am I in over my head here?

My main goals are figuring out what type of sensor to use when an object hits it, and how to get that information transmitted into a digital number. I need the sensor to cover a large area (2 feet by 2 feet).

Thanks for any information.

You could start by experimenting with force sensitive resistors like these: Force Sensitive Resistor - Square - SEN-09376 - SparkFun Electronics

I think the "ultra slim sensor technology" is just metal with a spacer. Perhaps something noncorrosive like Copper-Nickel, either wires or a woven mat or so.