Android App Helps Quarterbacks Hone Spiral Skills

It's pretty amazing the things you can do with a modern day smartphone. It's possible to check up on e-mail, let your friends know where you're eating dinner, and even make a few phone calls. But you already knew that. What we're really after is the development community, which has put out some rather astounding software over the years. Android is a platform where wild developments are happening quickly, as Google's barrier to app entry is pretty low in terms of major OS barriers. If you build it, and it's not malicious, it'll almost definitely score a spot in the market. And even if not, it's fun to distribute APKs on your own for curious Android users to try out.


One of the more interesting applications we've seen this year comes in the form of a rather unusual video. It's the perfect spiral trainer for Android, which uses Bluetooth, an InvenSense module, an Android phone and a NERF football in order to help quarterbacks hone their spiral skills. It's obviously important in serious sporting leagues to have a beautiful spiral, and this Replay Football System allows tossers to evaluate their spiral in real time, and then check that data out in order to see just how beautiful (or ugly) their throws were.


In this demo, a Droid 2 is used, and the football is transmitting data over Bluetooth the entire time. The throw release speed, time in flight, RPM of spiral and spiral wobble (precession) are all displayed during playback, and the 3 graphs display the raw data from the Accelerometer, Gyro, and Magnetometer respectively. Have a look yourself; we doubt you'll be disappointing with the hard work that obviously went into this.