EMIT Touch Free

[andypat]

HOw do you clear the unit? Is that touch free too? If so does that open up the system to some skulduggery?

[madmike]

You don't need to as the technology is on your arm, the unit is dumb compared to the card opposite of SI.


Edit: unless you mean the unit on your arm, in which case if I am confusing the issue, if so, sorry!

[andypat]

I meant the unit on your arm Mike sorry - dont know the terms for this - presumably no longer a brikke?

I guess I'm thinking whats to stop a rival's supporter running by the winner with a touch free clear station before they get to download?

[Red Adder]

The more I hear about EMIT (and having used it a few times) the more grateful I am that EA opted for SI.

[MIE]

HOw do you clear the unit? Is that touch free too? If so does that open up the system to some skulduggery?

Yes, it is also touch-free. Like standard Emit the start unit (which also clears) it is
(normally) placed at the start before the maps so you start, pick-up map and go
(or not if you need to look carefully at where you are and want to go ).

If it is a timed start then the Etag can be "cleared" , as now, any time before
the start line and the software will handle your actual start (as per normal -- with
Emit or SI)

There is also a "recorder" unit that can be placed in the start lanes to upload your
card details for the normal safety check. At Southampton it was a bit close to the
start line and as a result a lot, if not all, of the runners had flashing Etags from that
when they started.

Live and learn

[Scott]

I wasn't at Southampton, so feel free to ignore this, but to echo the point I made when the system was demoed at the Event Officials Conference, it seems as if there could be some advantage in being able to adjust the length of time the competitor unit flashes for (eg. you may want it to flash for 15sec on a Long Ski-O, but only 5sec on a Sprint Foot-O).

Those who were watching the video feed carefully may have noticed this system being used for timing (but not punching) at EOC 2012 - hence the funny arm-straight-out-in-front-Superman pose everyone was adopting as they crossed the finish line.

[Ali Wood]

If the proximity could be made ultra sensitive then there’d be no need to actually go round the course. The winner would be the one with the fastest brikke… Winning times would be short - a challenge for the planner - but there'd be no problems with swollen streams...

[blindasabat]

My first MTBO was a touch free system. Unfortunately half way around my course my (valid) route took me back through the assembly area and unbeknown to me my brikke cleared. I would have won my course so I was particularly miffed!

I guess I'm thinking whats to stop a rival's supporter running by the winner with a touch free clear station before they get to download?

[m4rk]

there could be some advantage in being able to adjust the length of time the competitor unit flashes for

This would be a definite plus, as would having the light be continuously on, or pulsating rather than flashing - the advantage of the scrolling bars on the normal emit cards is that they continuously scroll, whereas if you glance at your wrist and have just missed a flash, you'd be amazed how much map contact you lose waiting until the next flash. Especially if its >15 seconds after you punched!

[oo_wrong_way]

My understanding is that the unit is not actually cleared of any data. At the SOC event the EMIT team were able to interrogate the unit and see all the history (not sure how many controls but it would be more than 50). Also talking to them during the trials it is possible for the unit worn on the arm to transmit all punch data at a control. If that control has a radio link back to base you can get full splits data for each runner while they are out on the course.

[Timsands]

If you contributed, thank you. SOC plan to analyse your comments, the results of an event day survey and feedback from event officials. Meaningful conclusions will be passed on. I now consider this thread closed.

[bendover]

why has it taken so long to reach this stage? i seem to remember using Emit touch free at a British Sprint champs sometime around 2005?

[Mrs H]

We certainly used it at the JK camp site sprint at Lichfield Rugby Club in 2005

[kedge]

That was an older system, using a conventional EMIt brikke. This is an entirely new system as explained earlier in the thread.

Incidentally, SI also have developed a hands free card, which has been used for MTBO and SkiO and I don't think has been used much in the UK yet .

The recent newsletter stated

To date the SPORTident Air+ Active System has only been available for hire, not for sale. But we are getting closer to making the beacons and cards available for purchase. One significant advantage of the SIAC compared with the EMIT Emitag is that it can also be used as a conventional SI-Card with conventional control stations. This means that anyone purchasing a SIAC will be able to use the card at a traditional punching event or at a hands free event. But if you are an EMIT user, you will need two types of EMIT card - one for a traditional punching event and another for a hands free event.

[King Penguin]

maybe a reason not to buy SI 10 or 11 yet ? (see other topic)