RFID-Guided Video System Gives Equestrians Their Best Shot

Each video camera is attached to a motorized mount designed to pan and tilt to get the best picture. Ubisense software allows the system to direct cameras regarding how far to move, and when to stop. "This is the primary role Ubisense plays in our system," Horton explains, "to provide us the X-Y coordinate of our subject."

The cameras route their data to a recorder, where the frames are digitalized. Based on the tag data, Integrated Equine Technologies' software directs the digital video images from the best-angled cameras for display on a large screen. The system allows a trainer to replay specific segments of the video or freeze a specific frame. "For people who know the sport, it's very important to have every frame as clear as possible," Horton says. This makes it vital to use the correct camera angle at any given moment. Typically, horses canter at a rate of 1,066 feet (325 meters) per minute.

According to Beck, the company intends to continue testing hardware and software at the Rhythm and Blues location for at least two more weeks, after which the solution will be made commercially available to other equine facilities. He says he hopes to make the system easy to use. "This is not going to be used by technophiles; it's going to be used by people who ride horses," Beck explains. "We want it to be very simple for operators."

Although the Rhythm and Blues arena is using only two cameras, the system is being built to accommodate up to 12. The number of cameras typically required is expected to be four to six, Horton says. A smaller arena—approximately 100 feet in length—would require only two Ubisensor RFID interrogators. The system for such an arena would cost about $25,000, including two sensors, several tags, four to six cameras attached to motorized mounts, software, a PC to receive the data and run the software, and a plasma or LCD screen. A stable could also opt to connect the readers via a LAN cable to its back-end operation management system, Beck notes, so that recordings could be saved for stable employees or clients to view at a later date.

Eventually, Integrated Equine Technologies hopes to host a password-protected Web site to which video footage could be uploaded, enabling users to watch recordings of themselves or other riders online. Another potential online application might be the real-time viewing of horses or riders during practice or competitions. No timetable, however, has yet been established for the deployment of such services.