Predict the next innovation!

[Cgkdisc]

There's a company getting ready to produce a pair of (sun)glasses with HD video built-in that will transmit to the Internet via wireless connection to your SmartPhone. Players will be wearing these while playing and live streaming to Facebook so anyone can watch their round.

 

[bradcrow4]

double overmold

10M Brick comment for sure

 

[scarpfish]

How about a "reverse innovation"? Just as the PGA has not approved for play golf balls that travel too far, the PDGA will restrict even further the discs allowed for play to keep the sport from outgrowing its courses. This restriction could be for certain higher divisions, and would keep, say, a 400 foot open hole more challenging that it would be in about 10 years when anyone with a 900 rating or higher can throw that far.

^^this is a good idea

I agree with the Gov'na

Problem is you would then have millions of "semi-illegal" discs that certain people couldn't throw, but people in the division below them could. It would be a logistical nightmare to enforce this at tournaments just as checking for overweight discs is right now.

That and I don't think it would go over well in the divisions where certain molds would be banned, or for people considering moving up into those divisions who might then stay down.

 

[bazillion]

How about a robot that scoots around on a driving range, picks up discs, and UNERRINGLY hurls them back a point 6' in front of the person who threw it?

 

[scarpfish]

I'm not a physics guy by any means, but I've always wondered how a disc with weight shifting qualities would throw. Say there was a tube in the rim with tiny ball bearings or some sort of liquid in it.

 

[MrFixIt]

hover bags

How 'bout a hover cooler as well.

 

[Doupie620]

The question is how do you make them cheap enough to be worth it? Most of the discs I've lost were in water where a chip wouldn't help. It would be useful during the fall or in the rough though!

And for tracking practice throws...and STOLEN DISCS...you would need to damage the disc to keep it.

This would be great for gauging distance, flight lines, etc.

All you would need is a serial number on the chip that is turned on at the time of purchase or on a website by the owner.

That would be awesome...trajectory tracking would be sooooo cool to watch.

 

[DBdiscgolf]

Disc-copying technology:

When you have a disc perfectly broken-in, take it to a shop and pay $20 to have it copied perfectly. All dings, scratches, flex and flight characteristics are perfectly matched. Would have the option to change color or add a sweet stamp, though. This is also where you have the RFID tag put into the disc.

best idea ever i need this right now with my dx stingray that I love but it got a crack in it so it isn't legal anymore. If I could have the exact same disc without the crack it would be awesome.

 

[jtreadwell]

And for tracking practice throws...and STOLEN DISCS...you would need to damage the disc to keep it.

This would be great for gauging distance, flight lines, etc.

All you would need is a serial number on the chip that is turned on at the time of purchase or on a website by the owner.

That would be awesome...trajectory tracking would be sooooo cool to watch.

didn't think of that aspect of it. I'm sold!

 

[jtreadwell]

I'm not a physics guy by any means, but I've always wondered how a disc with weight shifting qualities would throw. Say there was a tube in the rim with tiny ball bearings or some sort of liquid in it.

This seems like a job for quest! They seem to be very interested in trying out the "wacky" design ideas that the larger companies seem to avoid.

 

[Timber]

Baskets attached to a motorized base on rails so they can be moved to any of the course designers preset pin placements with the press of a button (at the tee).

Rig it to a solar/wind power grid on the course and have an option where the baskets are programmed for constant (slow) motion between the shortest and longest placements dependant on the amount of free energy being produced.

Someone with a drop in drive could be screwed by bright sun or high winds:doh:

 

[drickanderson]

A disc with saw-tooth 'lifters' on the underside of the wing. They would have to be designed for the thrower (RHBH/LHFH and LHBH/RHFH models), but I've always wondered how it would affect the flight.

 

[jtreadwell]

Baskets attached to a motorized base on rails so they can be moved to any of the course designers preset pin placements with the press of a button (at the tee).

Rig it to a solar/wind power grid on the course and have an option where the baskets are programmed for constant (slow) motion between the shortest and longest placements dependant on the amount of free energy being produced.

Someone with a drop in drive could be screwed by bright sun or high winds:doh:

OK that's just epic and someone needs to make this happen. Even in the context of a mini-disc-golf course it would be sweet!

 

[jtreadwell]

A disc with saw-tooth 'lifters' on the underside of the wing. They would have to be designed for the thrower (RHBH/LHFH and LHBH/RHFH models), but I've always wondered how it would affect the flight.

wouldn't that tear up your hand a bit? Maybe I'm not getting it.

 

[jhgonzo]

We've all seen those collapsible traveler's cups, right?

A disc with a collapsible rim that would convert from wide-rimmed driver, pop the rim down a notch for your midrange, and even further for your putter.

 

[GT Chris]

I'd like to see scorecards on electronic paper which can automatically fill in course info (# holes, hole lengths, pars, elevation changes, OB, etc.) before the round, then transmit scores to tournament central in real time. You get live scoring, no more delays in having to double check scores after the round, and no adding errors.

I'd also like to save 'ghost flights' of good shots. Think racing videogames when you can do laps against a ghost car of your previous best lap. You can compare your good shot with your own or others' good shots from the past. Or you can show all your buddies that sweet ace you hit when nobody was around to see it the first time.

 

[olemiss5931]

A disc that would have a small led screen. After you throw it would tell the mph, distance you threw the disc and the revolutions per minute. Then they could tell you how fast and how many rpms you need to throw to be able to throw disc x correctly.

Also, a mini disc that shoots a laser forwards, backwards, left and right. The one forward is to point at the pin. The ones left and right are to show you where your foot can't cross and the one shooting backwards is to show you where your foot has to cross. This is where I see most ams foot fault so it would be a good training mini.

 

[Marzac2]

WOW... You guys came up with some pretty incredible ideas FAST.

You all need to go check out Quirky dot com. An invention submission website. They have a show on the sundance channel. Some of those ideas could be real winners.

I especially like the RF id in the discs. Talk about a way for companies to improve their disc technology. It could (like the other poster said) track the flight of the disc and provide flight info for the manufacturers to use to come up with more accurate flight numbers. If all manufacturers went to these in one of each mold they make, there could be a standard in flight numbers that remain consistant throughout any manufacturer.

I also like being able to use your phone to find an errant shot. BIG plus for speeding up tournaments.

 

[Doupie620]

Apply Solar Panels to the bottom of the basket to power the added LED's for easier night golfing...or UV paint that glows at night...

 

[foo_g]

I'm not a physics guy by any means, but I've always wondered how a disc with weight shifting qualities would throw. Say there was a tube in the rim with tiny ball bearings or some sort of liquid in it.

This sounds a lot like some of the newer fishing lure designs that have weight transfer systems built in to increase casting distance without affecting its balance during the retrieve. On the cast, the weight moves to the back of the bait to prevent it from catching too much air and tumbling. It flies more like a projectile. Then, at the beginning of the retrieve the weight (usually a steel or tungsten ball) is moved along a track and fits into another location near the center of the bait to stabilize it.

In a disc, I could see this helping with the initial velocity on a throw (weights forced toward the edge of the disc) and then possibly stabilizing it as the centrifugal force is lessened (the weights transfer back toward the center) to allow it to spin for a longer period of time.

It definitely works in theory.