Development of high-performance sports machine and elucidation of flight trajectory in gyroball

2020 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 18K10884
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 59020:Sports sciences-related
• Research Institution: Komatsu University
• Principal Investigator: Shinobu Sakai 公立小松大学, 生産システム科学部, 教授 (80196039)
• Project Period (FY): 2018-04-01 – 2021-03-31
• Keywords: スポーツ科学 / 野球 / 卓球 / 投球機 / 球種

Outline of Final Research Achievements

In this study, we designed and manufactured high-performance sports machines for a baseball and a table tennis that can throw balls of a wide range of ball speeds and various breaking balls with high pitching accuracy. Both machines to be developed adopted a 4-roller launch mechanism that can independently control the ball speed, spin rate and spin axis.
From the results of the launch experiments, it was confirmed that advanced breaking balls such as "two seam" and "gyroball" for the baseball and "chiquita" for the table tennis can be launched at any speeds and with high accuracy. We also clarified the aerodynamic characteristics and the flight trajectory of these advanced balls from the relationship between the ball speed and spin.

Free Research Field

スポーツ科学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究の学術的意義は，実投手の示指を模倣した柔剛合わせ持つ剛性可変把持装置と縫い目姿勢を揃えるトレッドパターンの発射ローラを新たに開発し，ジャイロボール等の高度な球種における縫い目姿勢とスピン数によって飛翔軌道やバウンド挙動などがどのように変化するのかを明らかにした点である．
本研究の社会的意義は，開発した高性能マシンを活用することにより，自チーム内にトップ選手が不在でもハイレベルの練習が体験できることである．また，飛翔軌道等がわかるため対戦相手の効果的な対策を行え，当該スポーツ分野の発展に大きく貢献し，その波及効果は大きい．