Project Challenge: Electronic Scoring Targets (ESTs) are too expensive
There are over 2,000 competitive marksmanship high school teams in the United States, and many of these athletes go on to compete at the collegiate level. The very best might even compete at the Olympic games. Marksmanship has always been one of the marquee disciplines at the Olympic Games, and was one of the original nine sports featured at the first modern Olympics in 1896.
Photo of an biathlon athlete
Background: The competition
In the 10m air rifle and 10m air pistol, high school athletes compete using the same standards used during Olympic events. A bullseye target is placed at a distance of 10m and the athletes shoot a specified number of shots at the target within a timeframe. This sport demands incredible precision and focus. To achieve these precise motor skills requires practice - lots and lots of practice.
The problem for high schools and other clubs is that an electronic scoring solution used for practice and competitions is expensive. A typical standalone solution can cost upwards of $3,000 to $4,000 per shooting lane. That means a full competitive shooting range could cost between $20,000 to $40,000.
An electronic scoring solution for an air rifle range
An affordable solution from Shooter’s Technology
Shooter’s Technology had a vision to create the world’s first affordable Electronic Scoring Target (EST), and provide the tools for marksmanship programs to advance the sport of competitive shooting. They succeeded with their solution called Athena. This solution is enabled by the Internet of Things (IoT) and available at a much more affordable price point. In fact, the complete solution costs about ⅓ to ¼ of the cost of a traditional EST.
This solution is connected to the cloud with AWS Greengrass which offers real time data analytics and enables backup of critical scoring data for users. In fact, an athlete’s performance for every practice and every competition is stored and is accessible at any time, from any location.
A photo of Athena affordable electronic scoring targets
Hardware requirements for the Athena EST
When looking for a hardware platform for Athena, Shooter’s Technology knew that the solution needed to withstand the hot and dusty conditions of a firing range. And, since the system would be used for scoring competitive sporting events, it needed to be highly reliable. They looked to OnLogic to help them make it possible.
Shooter’s Technology selected the OnLogic CL210 fanless industrial computer for the core of Athena. This small but powerful computer can support Athena deployment on up to 12 lanes which includes both the target and the athlete’s results display. For larger sites, Shooter’s Technology chose the OnLogic MC510 to support up to 30 lanes.
“We appreciate the variety of customizable platforms that OnLogic offers. They provided us with personalized attention through both the prototyping and production phases of our project. They’ve been attentive to our needs and bent over backwards to work with us through some logistical challenges.”
- Zachary Snell, Shooter's Technology Director of Operations
What’s next for Shooter’s Technology?
After their rollout in the US, Shooter’s Technology plans to offer Athena to the growing European marksmanship market. The affordability and flexibility of the Athena solution, promises to offer schools and training facilities new capabilities. Organizations that could not previously afford to provide advanced training tools, now have a new option for preparing the next generation of athletes to compete at the highest level.
We asked Zachary what he would tell someone about OnLogic if they had never heard of us.
“Onlogic provides a robust set of hardware solutions and tools for 'always on' computer deployment needs, and more importantly, they provide personal attention to your business needs.”
- Zachary Snell, Director of Operations
Missing that personal attention to your business needs? Let OnLogic help your business score. Contact our team today!
