Introducing B.O.L.T.S

The USBC Equipment and Specifications program has put the finishing touches on its Ball on Lane Tracking System, known as B.O.L.T.S. B.O.L.T.S is a great advance in the method through which a ball’s path is tracked while traveling down a lane. USBC worked to create B.O.L.T.S in order to maintain pace with the innovation in bowling equipment.

Development of B.O.L.T.S began in the summer of 2013 to replace the current Computer-Assisted Tracking System (C.A.T.S.). C.A.T.S was developed in the 1980s by USBC as the first digital ball-tracking system available to bowling centers. C.A.T.S is comprised of on-lane sonar devices that utilize laser-like beams to detect the ball as it passes. As the ball passes, C.A.T.S is able to sense the ball’s speed, spin and motion as it heads down the lane. However, C.A.T.S is only able to collect as many data points as the amount of devices that are placed on the lane. 

   

On either side of the lane are the C.A.T.S sonar detectors used to track ball motion.

B.O.L.T.S utilizes four cameras placed above the lane in order to be able to track the ball’s movement all the way down the lane. There are three cameras placed on the ceiling and a fourth placed closer to the lane behind the masking unit. 

Cameras are placed in three spots above the lane and a fourth is placed behind the masking unit as is shown here.

These cameras allow the system to track data at 60 frames per second, thus gathering 80-120 data points per shot. B.O.L.T.S also analyzes the data so quickly that the software shows the ball path and data sets before the ball is even returned.

As shown above, B.O.L.T.S data appears on the screen before the ball is even returned to the bowler.

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