Cock Launcher for Indonesian Youth Badminton Athlete Drilling Training
This is my final school project in my bachelor program, conducted under the COVID-19 pandemic. Badminton youth was quite a topic to cover, but the end result brought a major impact to the athletes and the trainers.
The empathy process of this project starts from surveys and observation on youth badminton athlete training experience and impact. Youth athletes are expected to get achievements in a certain period to keep their status. Meanwhile, there is a barrier between the scouting/trainer's expectation and athlete's actual performance. Teen age group has the most technical errors (speed, accuracy, steps). They're expected to secure their positions until they reach the next age group (usually there were little-to-no pressure from the family to pursue career other than badminton). Therefore, teen age group's problem can be solved by a tangible product.
The ideal process to ideate is to refer to the problems and activities in youth badminton training. This design problem requires random shuttlecock movements that mimic (or exceed) actual opponent in the competition. Design constraints (has to be fulfilled) of the product are having the ability to shoot random shots (just like a real opponent), precise operational duration for 50 shots in one set and limited time to prepare (1-2 minutes), being operated by only trainers and/or assistants, not exceeding the maximum storage space, and has to stay in the training facility.
Fig. 1 Design Alternatives
I created three alternatives that consists of two rotators and one mini robotic cock shooter. The engineering and training circumstances require a strong yet dynamic structure with less motors to prevent damage possibilities from the vibration. Therefore, the first rotator (left) was chosen.
Fig. 2 Operational Scenarios
I worked with BPPT (Badan Pengkajian dan Penerapan Teknologi) and I appreciated their team's willingness to give insights and resources to this project. There were scenarios that I reenacted, such as pushing a platform with wheels, walking forward and backward, turning to the side, and holding up the platform. The best and fastest way to move the product is using a platform with wheels (and a handle).
Fig. 3 Prototypes
We worked with three different vendors with significant different results. The first prototype is a basic cock launcher mechanism, the second is the final design concept that were done by intermediate-level vendor, and the last one was done by a higher-level vendor that takes heavy machine manufacturing orders. The user has to move the platform quickly, so the last one is too heavy to use. The second prototype is safer too because the wheel movements are smoother. Therefore, the second prototype is the chosen one.
Fig. 4 Product Details
We tested the prototype in the actual drilling training (training for steps and accuracy). The result was as good as we expected and the trainer was satisfied.
