Development of Launcher Machine with Two Rollers for Badminton

Abstract

Shuttlecock used in a badminton match is light in mass (around 5 grams), and is strongly influenced by air drag force. For professional badminton players, the highest initial speed of the shuttlecock exceeds 84m/s (300km/hr), which is the fastest speed for a ball, racket or projectile sports. The shuttlecocks are of two kinds: one of feather and one that is a synthetic shuttlecock. A feather shuttlecock is constructed of 16 goose feathers with a cork base mostly. Also, a synthetic shuttlecock is made of plastic or nylon with a cork. Both shuttlecocks are light and of a complicated shape, therefore, it is extremely difficult for the shuttlecock to be launched at speeds of more than 42m/s without breaking the feather, even if the newest mechanical technology is used. In this study, new insertion equipment and the motion control system were proposed, and an exercise machine for badminton, used to project the shuttlecock at high speeds (over 42m/s), has been developed. The mechanism of the shuttlecock launcher in this machine was achieved using the friction force between two turn rollers and the shuttlecock. The results of the launcher experiments using the badminton machine show that the machine can project the feather shuttlecock at the maximum flight distance of about 11.5m, with a standard error of about 0.32m and the highest initial speeds being 52.8m/s. In the case of the synthetic shuttlecock, this machine achieved the maximum flight distance of about 9.7m, and the highest speeds being 47.8m/s.