Patent Application
20180194386
Horseracing enjoys popularity in the United States and abroad. There are three principal types of horseracing—flat racing, jump racing, and harness racing. Flat racing and jump racing employs jockeys riding on the backs of horses using saddles. In flat racing, a horse is made to gallop at full speed around a track or strip. Jump racing is also called steeplechase racing. Here, a horse is made to jump over hurtles on a racetrack. A harness race is also called a pacing or trotting race depending upon the gate of the harnessed horse. The driver sits in a lightweight two-wheel cart called a sulky, and the horse trots around the track. A sulky is a type of chariot.
Present methods and equipment used to train and race horses are antiquated. This creates many problems. The most severe is the widespread injuries to horses and drivers. As a result, millions of dollars per year are lost and wasted on non-holistic sports medicine, such as dangerous injections, drugs, and quick fixes, with much less attention given to prevention and proper training. Injuries are so prevalent that there is an overabundance of horses being forced to retire at very early ages or euthanized to be sold for glue, pet products, or meat for human consumption.
Fifty years ago, harness racing was one of the fastest growing sports in America. Today, it is on the verge of extinction. This would devastate the already declining agricultural industry in the United States. The closing of farms, the decline of real estate values as well as supporting activities, such as transportation, hospitality, veterinary care, horse feed production, tack shops, etc., would have a rippling effect. The Present Invention has the ability to:
It is desirable to train horses and drivers in chariots that are not listed in current United States Trotting Association specifications. For horse training, it would be desirable to add resistance to the wheels to retard the motion of the horse to prevent an accident. Conversely, the training chariot could provide thrust to increase the speed of the horse while decreasing the stress on the horse. An ideal training chariot would collect telemetry regarding the stresses and strains at various locations on the body of the horse, as well as biometric indicators of both the horse and driver.
Eventually horse races using chariots not currently approved by the U.S. Trotting Association could be organized. These chariots could display advertising on sponsorship vehicles.
Training of drivers could be accomplished where a horse is harnessed to the chariot. However, drivers could also be trained with simulators that use the chariot of the Present Invention. Finally, the chariot and simulator can form part of a fantasy game. The participant (or driver) would be seated in the chariot in front of a video screen, and an animated horse would be driven around a simulated track. The Wii or Xbox platform would be ideal for this application. The fantasy game could include provisions for wagering.
The Present Invention is a chariot that resembles and functions like a training jog cart or sulky in harness racing. The function of the chariot is to train horses and drivers. The chariot receives telemetry from both the horse and the driver, and processes the data with an onboard computer system. The chariot comprises a display (or dashboard) and audio processor to provide the driver and other observers with information. It can be used to train or monitor drivers, equine and Olympic athletes, and may be equipped with technologies often used in NASCAR or Formula One vehicles. The chariot may also be used interactively in immersive racing simulators and fantasy games. The simulators can also employ virtual reality and augmented reality techniques.
The Chariot System of the Present Invention is meant to send and receive synchronized performance information from a horse drawn cart/sulky/chariot race or training team. The vehicle, the driver and the horse are outfitted with a plurality or sensors that allow for collection of performance information data. The system is also outfitted with a computing/processing and data logging electronics package, that includes the ability to accept and store, process and display the data from a multitude of different data sources. The electronics package is also comprised of communications systems so that information collected by the system can be simultaneously stored locally and transmitted to computing/processing, display and broadcast platforms remotely located in real time. A plurality of these systems may also be networked together for use by more than one participant.
The “onboard systems” or electronics package are also comprised of display and broadcast devices that serve the purpose of communication of information collected locally (data, audio, video) or communication of information (data, audio, video) received from a remote location to the driver or participant in real time.
The purpose of the system is to monitor, track, analyze, and deliver information for both historic and or real time health performance analysis, performance adjustment of human and equine athletes and also for creation of simulations that test and predict probable performance as a means of providing safety, gaining a competitive advantage, and performing the functions of entertainment gaming systems. The system may also be used for gambling.
Each horse drawn cart component is outfitted with a plurality of diverse sensors. The complete combination of sensors configured into one system is expandable with additional types of sensors, displays, broadcast and processing devices. The sensors that comprise the system actively measure and acquire information. Measurement data collected falls into several categories—including, but not limited to data from a horse (or team of horses pulling one chariot), the driver (or team of drivers sitting in or standing on one chariot), the sulky/cart/chariot, the harness, the environment, and synchronized data from all.
The sensors include but are not limited to (see
Sensors are affixed to the Horse that may measure and collect for example vibration and loads, heart rate, temperature, blood oxygen, muscle energy/activity, perspiration, speed, gate, multi perspective synchronized video and audio, wind resistance/drag, distance traveled, etc.
Sensors are affixed to the Driver (or team of drivers) that may measure and collect for example heart rate, temperature, blood oxygen, muscle energy/activity, position, center of gravity, multi perspective synchronized video and audio, wind resistance/drag, distance traveled, calories burned, etc. The driver may also be provided with voice and/or visual communications equipment with a microphone and headphones/earpiece present. The signals may be communicated to or from drones hovering over each chariot.
Sensors are affixed to the Vehicle as well as the that may measure and collect for example vibration and loads, tensions, temperature, positions, center of gravity, multi perspective synchronized video and audio, wind resistance/drag, distance traveled, speed/velocity/ momentum, wheel rotation and orientation, weight, tracking, tire pressure, resistance, etc.
Cameras may be used to transmit video information. The cameras or displays may be affixed to the driver, horse, or vehicle, or even flying drones.
The synchronized composite information from all of the sensors selected to function for a particular trip is recorded and delivered visually and audibly to the driver via an earphone/headset, a digital display and or gauges (analog) affixed to the driver and or the vehicle.
The synchronized composite information from all the sensors selected to function for a particular trip is recorded and delivered visually and audibly to the trainers and trainees, team members, or spectators at a remote location. The information is received, processed and displayed by a computer equipped with one or more digital displays, speakers and a communications system or it can be displayed in an analog format. It can be broadcast over wired or wireless communications, e.g., television, Internet, etc.
The vehicle takes various forms—a training vehicle, a racing vehicle, and an exotic chariot vehicle. The vehicle may be equipped with a generator in some form to produce and supply electrical energy to the onboard systems or for other systems remote from the vehicle this is done energy is produced while in transit.
The training vehicle is equipped with a redundant braking system that produces and supplies energy while at the same time furnishes a means of increasing or decreasing the resistance of the vehicles motion. The purpose of this feature set is to produce usable energy from the work that the Horse is doing and to furnish the ability to tune how hard the horse must work to pull the vehicle. This ultimately promotes the health and safety of the horse and driver by guarding against excessive or improper exercise related injuries or accidents.
The onboard systems includes a battery, power management, charge management, a central processing unit, input output connections, input/output devices including sensors, a keyboards, a mouse, a joystick, and triggers, and means of wireless and wired connectivity.
Analysis of the synchronized or individual data sets may take place at either the remote location or onboard the vehicle while in transit. The data generated by the system will be utilized to inform the function of horse drawn racing simulations and games that furnish an immersive race participation experience for virtual drivers and spectators.
The ability to simulate behavior of the various components; Horse, Vehicle, Harness and Driver and the group as a whole makes it possible to adjust training and driving and configuration to determine the safest conditions and to achieve the greatest competitive advantage.
The ability to simulate behavior of the various components; Horse, Vehicle, Harness and Driver and the group as a whole makes it possible to predict likely outcome and inform an immersive race participation gaming experience for remote participants or spectators or for training of young drivers and trainers.
The ability to inform simulation of immersive race participation gaming experience would allow for gambling on predefined milestones or on the outcome of actual races versus race simulation or fantasy racing.
Expanding upon the simulation concept disclosed above, participants can emulate drivers by sitting in a chariot of the type shown in
Based upon the telemetry received from horse, driver, and chariot, a computer can be programmed with predictive analytics. Artificial intelligence can be used to evaluate the results of actions taken or not taken by players. Thus, the computer can predict which horse will win the race. Also, a computer can determine which team was the safest or most efficient in crossing the finish line or predetermined milestones. Therefore, “winning” can be redefined as not only crossing the wire first but as which player was safest and most efficient in doing so. Regarding the gambling aspects of the Present Invention, we are dealing here with a game of player skill and not a game of chance. The player makes informed decisions to affect the outcome of a race.
Simulations can be done for training, exhibition races, actual horse races and for computer generated horse races. In both cases, the players use telemetry data received from sensors situated on the horse, the driver, and the chariot, as shown in
If a player is participating in an actual horse race, that player can be designated to be a virtual driver of a real horse. Based upon the telemetry, the player may take actions that are different than those taken by the actual driver. Thus, the player's horse may finish the race in a different position than the real horse. The player's horse may win the race, while the same real horse might lose (or vice versa). Thus the virtual driver can compare his results with those of the real driver. The game and the race are both run in real time. Once again, this game lends itself to wagering.
Although this specification teaches the utility of the Present Invention for the harness racing industry, it also has utility for flat racing and jump racing where a cart is not pulled by a horse. Here, the sensors are affixed to the jockey and the horse or on the saddle, but the type of display remains the same. Furthermore, the Present Invention has utility in races by animals other than horses.
This Present Application is the nonprovisional counterpart of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/536,461 filed on Jul. 25, 2017. This Present Application claims priority to and the benefit of said provisional patent application, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. This Present Application is the nonprovisional counterpart of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/536,461 filed on Jul. 25, 2017. This Present Application claims priority to and the benefit of said provisional patent application, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62536461 | Jul 2017 | US |
