Equipment recommendation systems and methods

A system configured to recommend and provide a hockey stick to a subject who performs a shooting protocol corresponding to a sequence of shots taken with a sample hockey stick, wherein the shooting protocol is characterized by execution of the sequence of shots that includes at least one wrist shot and at least one slap shot, comprising:

• a plurality of sensors configured to sense the subject's taking of the sequence of shots with the sample hockey stick;
• and
• a processor coupled to the plurality of sensors and configured:
• to gather sensed data from the plurality of sensors corresponding to the subject's taking of the sequence of shots with the sample hockey stick,
• and
• to process the sensed data in accordance with the shooting protocol to determine at least one performance indicator, wherein the sensed data is processed by aligning time series of the sensed data derived from the plurality of sensors;
• to determine at least one recommended hockey stick feature for the hockey stick based at least in part on the at least one performance indicator;
• to consult a database of hockey stick records associated with known hockey sticks to determine if a particular one of the hockey stick records matches the at least one recommended hockey stick feature for the hockey stick;
• in response to determining that the particular one of the hockey stick records matches the at least one recommended hockey stick feature for the hockey stick, to cause a graphical user interface to output information identifying a particular one of the known hockey sticks associated with the particular one of the hockey stick records as the hockey stick recommended to the subject;
• and
• in response to determining that none of the hockey stick records matches the at least one recommended hockey stick feature for the hockey stick:
• to utilize the at least one recommended hockey stick feature for the hockey stick to generate a customized hockey stick;
• and cause the graphical user interface to output information identifying the customized hockey stick as the hockey stick recommended to the subject;
• and
• to cause the hockey stick to be provided to the subject according to the information identifying the particular one of the known hockey sticks or the information identifying the customized hockey stick.

An equipment recommendation system configured to recommend and provide a hockey stick to a subject who performs a shooting protocol corresponding to a sequence of shots taken with a sample hockey stick, wherein the shooting protocol is characterized by execution of the sequence of shots that includes at least one wrist shot and at least one slap shot, comprising:

• a plurality of cameras configured to produce images representative of the execution of the shooting protocol by the subject with the sample hockey stick;
• an I/O interface;
• and
• a processor connected to the plurality of cameras via the I/O interface and configured to extract parameters from the images,
• to process the extracted parameters in accordance with the shooting protocol to determine at least one performance indicator, wherein the extracted parameters are processed by aligning time series of the extracted parameters derived from the plurality of cameras;
• to determine at least one recommended hockey stick feature for the hockey stick based at least in part on the at least one performance indicator;
• to consult a database of hockey stick records associated with known hockey sticks to determine if a particular one of the hockey stick records matches the at least one recommended hockey stick feature for the hockey stick;
• in response to determining that the particular one of the hockey stick records matches the at least one recommended hockey stick feature for the hockey stick, to output, via the I/O interface, information identifying a particular one of the known hockey sticks associated with the particular one of the hockey stick records as the hockey stick recommended to the subject;
• and
• in response to determining that none of the hockey stick records matches the at least one recommended hockey stick feature for the hockey stick:
• to utilize the at least one recommended hockey stick feature for the hockey stick to generate a customized hockey stick;
• and to output, via the I/O interface, information identifying the customized hockey stick as the hockey stick recommended to the subject:
• to cause the hockey stick to be provided to the subject according to the information identifying the particular one of the known hockey sticks or the information identifying the customized hockey stick.

A method for providing a hockey stick to a subject who performs a shooting protocol corresponding to a sequence of shots taken with a sample hockey stick, wherein the shooting protocol is characterized by execution of the sequence of shots that includes at least one wrist shot and at least one slap shot, the method comprising:

• sensing, with a plurality of sensors, the subject's taking of the sequence of shots with the sample hockey stick;
• gathering, with at least one computer, sensed data from the sensors corresponding to the subject's taking of the sequence of shots with the sample hockey stick;
• processing, with the at least one computer, the sensed data in accordance with the shooting protocol to determine at least one performance indicator, wherein the processing comprises aligning time series of the sensed data derived from the sensors;
• determining, with the at least one computer, at least one recommended hockey stick feature for the hockey stick based at least in part on the at least one performance indicator;
• consulting, with the at least one computer, a database of hockey stick records associated with known hockey sticks to identify a particular one of the hockey stick records that matches the at least one recommended hockey stick feature for the hockey stick;
• outputting, via a graphical user interface of the at least one computer, information identifying a particular one of the known hockey sticks associated with the particular one of the hockey stick records as the hockey stick recommended for the subject;
• and
• providing the hockey stick to the subject based on the information identifying the particular one of the known hockey sticks.