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Trainers and riders usually install mirrors around the training ground to check their performance and the performance of their horses, and they often have people videotaping the entire training session on the side of the field and reviewing and analyzing the video later. Now Rhythm and Blues in Allentown, Pennsylvania, is about to introduce an RFID system that will allow riders to check their performance from the back of their horses.
The racecourse is currently testing an RFID system that allows riders to watch their training sessions in real time through cameras with integrated sensors. Developed by the new company Integrated Equine Technologies, the system consists of RFID hardware, Ubisense’s real-time location system software and Integrated Equine software that controls the camera’s capture and range. The owner of the Rhythm and Blues Stables horse farm is also the founder of Integrated Equine Technologies.
RFID guided camera system helps riders have a go
Two analog cameras and four Ubisensor Series 7000 RFID readers are installed on the training ground. The reader is used to capture the signal emitted by an active ultra-wideband (UWB) RFID tag on a horse or rider. The training ground is also equipped with a computer running Ubisense and Integrated Equine software, a large LCD screen.
The size and shape of the tag is similar to that of a flat golf ball. Labels are placed on the bridle, bit, or rider’s clothing. According to Joshua Horton, chief technology officer at Integrated Equine Technologies, the company is now testing several tags on different parts of the horse’s body so the system can choose the best camera angle.
Tags use the 6 – 8 GHz ultra-wide frequency band to transmit their ID signals. The tag can be set to send a signal continuously, or it can be automatically turned on or off via an embedded motion sensor. Ubisensors readers receive the tag data and send the data over a cable connection to a server running Ubisense software. The Ubisense software calculates the position of the tag from the angle of emission of the signal and the time of arrival.
The size of the Rhythm and Blues training ground is 210 feet by 80 feet, and a total of 4 RFID readers are installed. The reader obtains data from all tags on the field. “The accuracy of the system is incredible,” Beck says. If a rider has an RFID tag on his helmet, when the rider leans forward, the sensor can immediately sense the movement.
The camera is mounted on a motorized stand, which can be flat or inclined for better visibility. Ubisense software allows the system to guide the camera to move and stop. “This is where Ubisense plays the most critical role in our system,” explains Horton, “giving us the XY coordinates of objects.”
The camera transmits the captured data to a video recorder, which digitizes the captured footage. Based on the tag data, the Integrated Equine Technologies software projects the digital images captured by the camera at the best angle onto a large LCD screen. “It’s very important for people who understand this movement that each image is as sharp as possible,” Horton said.
According to Beck, the company hopes to have at least two more weeks to test hardware and software at Rhythm and Blues, and he wants the entire system to be easy to operate.
Rhythm and Blues only used 2 cameras, in fact the system can support 12 cameras. Usually 4-6 cameras are required. A small field about 100 feet in length requires only 2 Ubisensor RFID readers, and the entire system costs about $25,000. The system includes two sensors, several tags, 4-6 cameras, software, receiving data and running the software. Computer, LCD screen.
Integrated Equine Technologies hopes to design a password-protected website in the future where users can download videos or watch them online.
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