Bowhunting Techies - here's a head scratcher.
03-29-2007, 06:35 AM
#1
Giant Nontypical
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 5,716
Bowhunting Techies - here's a head scratcher.
Yesterday I wasthinking (dangerous I know): What if somebody were to make an electronic archery sight, with a built-in laser rangefinder that automatically compensated for a pre-programmed arrow speed and distance, and superimposed a sight dot on an attached digital tv screen that fit inside the sight window? The technology is there to do it. It would be awfully expensive for an archery sight, but do-able.
Hear me out:
Instead of looking through your sight window at the actual target, you would instead be looking into a digital screen (think about something similar tothe screen on your digital camera).The screen would show a real-time image relayed from a tinycamera on the front of the unit (again, think of your digital camera). You could zoom in/out and there would be no need for peep sites. The rangefinder would then run the yardage of the intended targetthrough thecpu,calibrating for distance and superimposing a dot on the screen. Just point and shoot.
That's a head scratcher.
I know it wouldn't be legal everywhere, but the point is that I think it's possible.
I'm not sure if what I'm trying to describe is actually coming across the right way, but it was just a totally random thought that hit me last night.
Really, the on-board cpu wouldn't have to be all that sophisticated, just able to draw a parabola based on the arrow speed entered, then use the rangefinder input to pick the appropriate point and move the dot to compensate for the correct elevation.
I've got steam coming out of my ears. Better get back to work.
Hear me out:
Instead of looking through your sight window at the actual target, you would instead be looking into a digital screen (think about something similar tothe screen on your digital camera).The screen would show a real-time image relayed from a tinycamera on the front of the unit (again, think of your digital camera). You could zoom in/out and there would be no need for peep sites. The rangefinder would then run the yardage of the intended targetthrough thecpu,calibrating for distance and superimposing a dot on the screen. Just point and shoot.
That's a head scratcher.
I know it wouldn't be legal everywhere, but the point is that I think it's possible.
I'm not sure if what I'm trying to describe is actually coming across the right way, but it was just a totally random thought that hit me last night.
Really, the on-board cpu wouldn't have to be all that sophisticated, just able to draw a parabola based on the arrow speed entered, then use the rangefinder input to pick the appropriate point and move the dot to compensate for the correct elevation.
I've got steam coming out of my ears. Better get back to work.
03-29-2007, 07:05 AM
#4
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Irwin PA USA
Posts: 1,247
RE: Bowhunting Techies - here's a head scratcher.
Yea , the pins are working good so far.....but a site to zoom would make those long Allegheny Co. shots easier .....but in my experience , the more buttons and what not , the more im going to F it all up.....
03-29-2007, 07:13 AM
#5
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location:
Posts: 447
RE: Bowhunting Techies - here's a head scratcher.
I think that sounds cool but I don't think I would use it unless it made a video of my kill. I also think you would still have to use the peep unless there were three dots in the screen. Two of the dots would have to let you know that your bow was level and the third would be the pin at the correct yardage. If we were using bow's in war's these days I bet they would already have this kind of sight. Great idea man, again, I don't know that I would use it but it would be cool to see.
03-29-2007, 07:33 AM
#6
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: West Tennessee
Posts: 2,333
RE: Bowhunting Techies - here's a head scratcher.
That's wierd. I was just talking to my wife about that idea two weeks ago. Nefarious is right, though. That kind of tech would cost more than the bow. Combine the laser range finder, digital camera, microprocessor, and lcd display, and it would be one pricey piece of hardware. Still, someone would buy it. The processor would have to be somewhat powerful to quickly superimpose the dot or crosshair to allow for movement.
03-29-2007, 07:39 AM
#7
Dominant Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Blossvale, New York
Posts: 21,199
RE: Bowhunting Techies - here's a head scratcher.
Dude....I'll just GIVE you some deer meat if ya need it that bad!
03-29-2007, 07:46 AM
#9
Giant Nontypical
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Phoenixville, PA USA
Posts: 5,541
RE: Bowhunting Techies - here's a head scratcher.
Not a bad concept, but not something I would want to be raising and lowering from my treestand. I would like to expand on your idea and simplify a bit if you would indulge me.
Working in IT I see things all the time that don't make sense (e.g. a manager that brings his laptop to a meeting so he doesn't miss email when he's got a Blackberry on his hip)[&:]. The point of that is you don't need all of that computing power on your bow.
If you took a sight, similar to what Summit put out this year with a little more guts to it, and did all of the computing on your home computer, you could download the information to the sight. You would input your bow's speed, arrow weight, FOC, etc. and let the computer calculate the formula for distance compensation. That way all of the number crunching is done and you have a more compact unit. The rangefinder unit could work similar to a scan mode and the whole sight could be activated by a touch pad on the bow's gripto save on battery life. Heck you could even include a solar panel to charge your battery while you sit. Then when the deer approaches you grab the bow, automatically engage the sight with your hand and draw. Once you are on the deer the sight would scan the distance with the range finder and the dot would compensate with the data already loaded from the PC. Place the dot on the target and release.
This would take all of the guess work out of gapping pins or estimating drop on a single pin sight. The downsides would be price, durability, and that the manufacturer would have to make it so it wouldn't compensate too far or you'd have guys taking more unethical shots than they already do. Being a techy I like the idea, but it kind of takes some of the skill out of bowhunting. Plus it'd be illegal in PA, we can't even have Lumenocks.
Working in IT I see things all the time that don't make sense (e.g. a manager that brings his laptop to a meeting so he doesn't miss email when he's got a Blackberry on his hip)[&:]. The point of that is you don't need all of that computing power on your bow.
If you took a sight, similar to what Summit put out this year with a little more guts to it, and did all of the computing on your home computer, you could download the information to the sight. You would input your bow's speed, arrow weight, FOC, etc. and let the computer calculate the formula for distance compensation. That way all of the number crunching is done and you have a more compact unit. The rangefinder unit could work similar to a scan mode and the whole sight could be activated by a touch pad on the bow's gripto save on battery life. Heck you could even include a solar panel to charge your battery while you sit. Then when the deer approaches you grab the bow, automatically engage the sight with your hand and draw. Once you are on the deer the sight would scan the distance with the range finder and the dot would compensate with the data already loaded from the PC. Place the dot on the target and release.
This would take all of the guess work out of gapping pins or estimating drop on a single pin sight. The downsides would be price, durability, and that the manufacturer would have to make it so it wouldn't compensate too far or you'd have guys taking more unethical shots than they already do. Being a techy I like the idea, but it kind of takes some of the skill out of bowhunting. Plus it'd be illegal in PA, we can't even have Lumenocks.
