07 Jul 2008 | Ref. 207/2008
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BAE SYSTEMS HELPS BRITISH TEAM SHOOT TO SUCCESS
London, UK: The British Shooting Team today tested a piece of equipment designed and built by BAE Systems. The technology, which has been developed as part of a £1.5 million partnership with UK Sport, will assist Great Britain’s best shooters in training ahead of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games and beyond.
BAE Systems’ scientists, usually responsible for developing UAV control software and explosive detection equipment, were challenged to develop an electronic device to measure accuracy and the consistency of timing between the first and second shot in Olympic double trap shooting to 0.01 of a second.
“The solution seemed fairly simple at first, but typically, as our understanding has grown, so has the complexity required to solve the problem,” says Dr George Simpson, Senior Scientist at BAE Systems’ Advanced Technology Centre. “The system we’ve tested today comprises a directional microphone and a peak detection algorithm to determine the time difference between the two shots, whilst filtering out down range noise.
“We’re able to use the system to evaluate individual performance, which we hope will prove useful to the teams in their final preparations this month.”
Ian Coley, Great Britain National Coach for Olympic double trap, comments: “We have never before been able to accurately calculate timing variations between shots in the double trap event – with shots fired approximately 0.4 seconds apart, it was simply not possible to measure manually.
“In the increasingly competitive world of athletics, performance standards continue to rise and the difference between winning and losing is reduced to mere fractions of a second. As such, we are increasingly looking to technology to give our British athletes the competitive edge. This new device developed by BAE Systems will record and analyse timing and its impact on accuracy, helping to boost future gold medals hopes.”
Olympic gold medallist Richard Faulds says: “I have been searching for precision timing equipment for years and look forward to training with it over the coming months and years to enhance my performance on the world stage.”
BAE Systems has established a major five year partnership with UK Sport to help British athletes in their quest for sporting excellence in World and European Championships as well as the Olympic and Paralympic Games. The project with the British Shooting Team is just one of a number of initiatives through which BAE Systems is delivering expertise in structural and mechanical engineering, aerodynamics, hydrodynamics, mathematical modelling and simulation, human factors and materials science. Other projects already underway include work with the British cycling, sailing and bob skeleton teams.
The Olympic double trap shooting event requires competitors to shoot two clay targets, released simultaneously, with three rounds of 50 targets. Competitors need to fire their two shots as closely together as possible to ensure that both are hit.
About BAE Systems
BAE Systems is the premier global defence and aerospace company delivering a full range of products and services for air, land and naval forces, as well as advanced electronics, information technology solutions and customer support services. With 97,500 employees worldwide, BAE Systems' sales exceeded £15.7 billion (US $31.4 billion) in 2007.
About UK Sport
UK Sport is the Government agency responsible for investing in and supporting our Olympic and Paralympic sports and athletes. It currently invests around £100 million a year in the World Class Performance Programme, supporting 1,400 athletes across 24 Olympic and 20 Paralympic sports. It underpins this investment through providing dedicated services to sports and athletes, such as Elite Coach, Talent ID, Performance Lifestyle and Research & Innovation. UK Sport also operates as the National Anti-Doping Organisation, and is the lead agency for international sporting issues.
For further information, please contact:
John Neilson, BAE Systems
Tel: +44 (0) 1252 384795 Mob: + 44 (0) 7802) 337704
john.neilson@baesystems.com
Kristina Crowe, Biss Lancaster
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7467 9200
Kristina.crowe@bisslancaster.com
Tim Hollingsworth, UK Sport
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7211 5144 Mob: + 44 (0) 7802 574647
tim.hollingsworth@uksport.gov.uk
Issued by:
BAE Systems, Farnborough, Hampshire GU14 6YU, UK
Tel: +44 (0) 1252 384719 Fax: +44 (0) 1252 383947
24hr media hotline: + 44 (0) 7801 717739
www.baesystems.com
