Experimental Study on Golf Swing-Robot Adjusting to the Characteristics of Golf Clubs.

Abstract

Conventional golf swing-robots are generally used to evaluate the performance of golf clubs and balls. Most of the robots have two or three joints with completely interrelated motion. Therefore, subtle adjustments in swing motion that advanced golfers make according to the characteristics of individual golf clubs are not possible. Consequently, golf swing-robots can not accurately emulate the performance of advanced golfers, which is a problem for evaluation of golf club performance. In this study, a new golf swing-robot that can adjust its motion to both a specified value of swing velocity and the specific characteristics of individual golf clubs was experimentally investigated. This robot utilizes the dynamic interference force produced by swing motion and shaft vibration like advanced golfers. Thus, this new robot can emulate the performance of advanced golfers and can therefore be used for accurate evaluation of golf clubs.