2024.08.28 Hyundai Motor Group
Hyundai Motor Group and Their CuttingEdge Technology Aimed at the Gold
The South Korean archery team made history by sweeping all events at the 2024 Paris Games, setting a new record in archery history. Here's a detailed look at how Hyundai Motor Group supported the Korea Archery Association and its athletes.
The South Korean archery team achieved an unprecedented sweep of all events at the 2024 Paris Games, winning gold in the women's team event for the 10th consecutive time, the men's team event for the third consecutive time, as well as in the mixed team, women's individual, and men's individual events. This remarkable feat follows their clean sweep of all four events at the 2016 Rio Games, and they added the mixed team event, introduced at the Tokyo Games, to their gold medal haul in Paris—marking the first-ever sweep of five events in archery.
Maintaining the top position in world archery, despite always being a dominant force, is as challenging as it is prestigious. Competitors worldwide closely watch the South Korean archery team, strategizing to overcome them. In response, the Korean archery team consistently innovates and works hard to stay ahead of their challengers. This success is due to the unified efforts of the athletes and coaching staff, their relentless training, and the support and encouragement from all of us. Hyundai Motor Group has also steadfastly supported the growth of Korean archery for 40 years, starting in 1985. This sponsorship represents the longest-running support for a single sports organization in Korea.
At the 2024 Paris Games, Hyundai Motor Group provided advanced technology to the team, including personal training shooting robots, multi-camera systems for outdoor training, portable bow verification equipment, cooling caps, custom grips, vision-based heart rate monitors, and high-precision shooting machines. These cutting-edge tools enhanced the athletes' training and ensured the performance of their equipment, minimizing variables that could impact their abilities. Hyundai's archery technology support project is a prime example of CSV (Creating Shared Value) activities, where the company's resources and expertise contribute to societal benefits like sports development.
Advanced Technologies Hyundai Motor Group Provided to the Archery Team
(1) Personal Training Shooting Robot
In preparation for the 2024 Paris Games, the South Korean archery team trained tirelessly, drawing their bows countless times. Before major competitions, they engage in various exercises, including one-on-one matches, to sharpen their competitive edge. To support this, Hyundai Motor Group developed a personal training shooting robot that allows athletes to conduct one-on-one practice anytime. This is particularly useful when it's difficult to arrange a training partner. The shooting robot introduces considerable pressure during one-on-one matches because it eliminates most sources of error except wind influence.
Still, wind effects can be accurately accounted for. The robot uses real-time control software and sensors for wind direction, temperature, and humidity to measure external environmental variables and adjust the aiming point with precision. Thanks to these features, the shooting robot boasts an average accuracy of over 9.65 points. The data gathered during these exercises also helps athletes quantify wind strength and analyze how external conditions affect their shooting patterns.
One of the shooting robot's key features is its ease of use. It is equipped with a 15-inch touchscreen and an intuitive operating system, as well as a high-performance PC and a high-speed control motor, enabling aiming and firing within 20 seconds—consistent with official archery competition rules. The robot's adjustable wheels make it easy to move between indoor and outdoor settings, and it can be locked in place to increase accuracy during shooting. The shooting robot was used in early July at the national team's second special match in Jincheon, where it competed against two athletes, helping them maintain their competitive edge.
(2) Multi-Camera System for Outdoor Training
In archery, form is crucial for accuracy. However, it's difficult for athletes to monitor their form during personal training. Athletes and coaches needed equipment that could capture and analyze shooting form from multiple angles, even during individual practice. In response, Hyundai Motor Group developed and provided a multi-camera system for outdoor training that allows precise analysis of shooting form.
The outdoor multi-camera system includes a top-view camera positioned above the athlete and two front-view cameras. It records the athlete's movements and displays feedback footage on a monitor. The time delay between the actual movement and the feedback video can be set between 0 and 9 seconds. For example, if set to a 5-second delay, the athlete can see their shooting form 5 seconds after releasing the arrow. Slow-motion playback is also available at speeds of 0.125x, 0.25x, 0.5x, and 1x, allowing for detailed analysis of the shooting form.
The outdoor multi-camera system features a 35-inch high-brightness industrial monitor with a maximum brightness of 1,500 nits, ensuring visibility even under strong sunlight. The height of the top-view camera can be adjusted between 190 cm and 290 cm, depending on the athlete's height. This simple yet effective system allows athletes to self-check their form, making it an invaluable tool for personal training.
(3) Portable Bow Verification Device
The bows used by the Korean athletes are highly sensitive instruments. For example, the bowstring can expand or contract slightly depending on the temperature, which can impact performance. Given that archery competitions can be decided by discrepancies of less than a millimeter, accurately assessing the condition of the bow is crucial to the outcome.
The most reliable way to verify whether a bow’s performance matches its initial setup is by measuring the draw force (the restorative force created when pulling the string). As the string is pulled to a certain distance, the force with which the arrow is launched increases. By repeatedly checking whether the draw force remains consistent at a specific distance, one can determine if the performance is being maintained. However, precision draw force measuring devices are typically not portable. While small-scale measuring devices are available, they lack the accuracy required for international competitions.
To address this, Hyundai Motor Group developed a portable bow verification device capable of precise draw force measurements. By using a 3D printer to create key components, they reduced the weight and added a folding feature to minimize size, making it easy to check the bow’s condition anywhere. The national archery team used this portable verification device to measure the bow’s draw force before departure and again upon arrival in Paris, ensuring that the bow remained in optimal condition during transit.
(4) Radiative Cooling Hat
The 2024 Paris Games posed a significant challenge with the intense heat. Concerns about the scorching temperatures were particularly high. Given that archery competitions take place outdoors, athletes are directly exposed to the heat and sunlight. To combat this, Hyundai Motor Group developed a competition hat for the national archery team, made from radiative cooling fabric that reflects sunlight and maximizes the release of radiant energy to enhance cooling effects.
In early July, four members of the national archery team wore these cooling hats during the second special match at the Jincheon Training Center. At the Paris Games, two female archers wore the cooling hats, contributing to their historic tenth consecutive team gold medal.
(5) Custom Grip
Typically, athletes modify the "grip" attached to the center of the bow to perfectly fit their hand. They purchase a standard grip and then customize it to their preference. However, if the grip gets damaged during a competition, they may need to quickly reshape a new one to match their hand, which can negatively affect their performance. Given that archery competitions are often decided by the smallest margins, the importance of a perfectly fitting grip cannot be overlooked.
Hyundai Motor Group and the Korea Archery Association have been providing athletes with custom grips made using 3D scanning and 3D printing technology. The grips that athletes have already customized are 3D scanned, and the 3D printer recreates even the slightest imperfections. Since the 2016 Rio Games, Hyundai Motor Group has been supplying the national archery team with custom grips. The success of these custom grips at the 2020 Tokyo Games and the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games has led to their widespread use, with five out of six archers on the national team using them at the Paris Games.
(6) Vision-Based Heart Rate Monitoring Device
Heart rate is a key indicator that can indirectly estimate an athlete’s breathing and muscular concentration. Hyundai Motor Group developed a vision-based heart rate monitoring device for training ahead of the 2020 Tokyo Games, and has been supporting the national archery team with it ever since. This device uses advanced vision computing technology to detect micro-changes in the athlete's facial color to measure their pulse and heart rate.
The non-contact operation of the vision-based heart rate monitoring device ensures that it does not interfere with the athlete’s focus. This alone highlights the value of vision computing technology. Additionally, Hyundai Motor Group developed a specialized facial recognition algorithm to more accurately measure heart rate by identifying the face of the archer drawing the bowstring and filtering out background noise. They also used broadcast-quality long-range zoom cameras to minimize training disruptions. During the second special match of the national team in July, this heart rate monitoring device was used to display athletes’ heart rates on a large screen, increasing their tension and testing their concentration during the match.
(7) High-Precision Shooting Machine
Selecting the right arrows is crucial in archery. Hyundai Motor Group first developed a high-precision shooting machine for arrow selection in preparation for the 2016 Rio Games. The machine automates the process by shooting arrows at a 30-meter distance, grouping them together, and selecting only the highest quality arrows with consistent performance. The high-precision shooting machine currently in use at the Jincheon Training Center is an improved version, with enhanced accuracy and precision, developed in preparation for the Tokyo Games. It is used to select arrows for international competitions, including those taken by the national archery team to the Paris Games.
A Special Archery Experience Event to Promote the Popularization of Archery
For the continued development of archery in South Korea, it’s essential to have broad understanding and support. This is why Hyundai Motor Group is actively engaged in various activities to popularize archery. For instance, Hyundai Motor Group and the Korea Archery Association are working on a project to incorporate archery into school physical education programs. The goal is to help children experience archery as a sport and to make it more familiar to them. Since 2022, archery education has begun in some middle schools, and this year, the plan is to expand this initiative nationwide, introducing archery into after-school programs and physical education classes in elementary schools. This effort aligns with the Korea Archery Association’s comprehensive system, supported by Hyundai Motor Group, to nurture outstanding athletes from youth to the national team level. This includes providing free equipment for elementary and middle schools and establishing a youth team with full support for their equipment and training.
Additionally, Hyundai Motor Group hosted an event titled “The Path of an Archer: The Intersection of Mobility Technology and Archery” at Hyundai Motorstudio Goyang. Held from July 26 to August 18, this event features both an “Archery Experience Zone” and an “Archery Technology Exhibition Zone.” Participants can indirectly experience the journey of an athlete growing into a national team member, while also learning about the systematic training process of Korea’s archery athletes. In the experience zone, participants can take on the role of an archer, shooting arrows in a space that replicates an actual competition venue using a curved screen, and engage with various advanced training tools used by national team athletes.
In the Archery Experience Zone, scenarios such as *“The Moment You First Held a Bow,” “The Pursuit of Perfection,” and “On the World Stage” guide participants through the process of learning archery, training to become a national representative, and competing in international tournaments. Especially when viewing the target board from the 70-meter distance used in international competitions, participants will gain a deeper appreciation for the relentless efforts of national archery athletes.
Throughout each stage, visitors can also experience advanced technologies supported by Hyundai Motor Group that have contributed to the development of Korean archery. For example, the “Vision-Based Heart Rate Measurement Device” used for maintaining composure during training and the “Outdoor Training Multi-Camera System” designed to check and perfect shooting posture allow participants to monitor their heart rate and archery stance. Additionally, in the Archery Technology Exhibition Zone, a personal training shooting robot and custom 3D grips used by former national team members Kang Chae-young and Oh Jin-hyek are on display.
If you visit Hyundai Motorstudio Goyang, participating in the archery experience is highly recommended. There’s no need to worry about the bow being too heavy. Hyundai Motor Group provides lighter bows for beginners, different from those used by national team athletes, and ensures that participants wear safety gear such as chest guards and arm guards. After the archery experience, participants can also receive a “four-cut photo” as a keepsake, capturing their archery shooting moments.
an archer who pulled the archery bow demonstration
Technology for Humanity: The Journey Continues
At the 2024 Paris Olympics, the Korean archery team brought thrilling moments to many, achieving an unprecedented feat of winning gold in all five events—women's team, men’s team, mixed team, women’s individual, and men’s individual. Despite these world-class achievements, the athletes are already preparing for the next competition, knowing that constant vigilance and the pursuit of excellence are the keys to their enduring success.
Understanding the challenges faced by archers, Hyundai Motor Group continues to develop new technologies to aid them. These advancements include AI-based video motion amplification technology, which visualizes subtle changes in an archer's posture during shooting and quantifies the vibrations of the bow, offering cutting-edge tools that can be integrated into archery training.
For instance, in archery competitions where athletes aim at a target 70 meters away, even the slightest tremor or irregular vibrations caused by aging equipment can lead to significant errors. However, detecting and analyzing these subtle posture changes or equipment issues with the naked eye is challenging. To address this, Hyundai Motor Group is developing AI-based video motion amplification technology. This technology uses high-speed cameras to capture an athlete's posture and equipment, allowing AI to identify minute vibrations and assess both the athlete's form and the performance of their gear.
The AI-based video motion amplification technology can also be applied to training for aiming adjustments, especially when external factors like wind come into play. By analyzing shooting footage with AI, the technology can determine how much the bow's aim point needs to be adjusted and assess the corresponding shooting accuracy. It provides quantitative data that helps archers understand how many millimeters to move the aim point to hit the target center under varying wind conditions. Additionally, by visualizing the minute vibrations of the bow during shooting, the technology can compare the tremors in the upper and lower parts of the bow to ensure balance. This makes it a valuable tool for checking the condition of the equipment and detecting any potential issues.
Hyundai Motor Group is leveraging advanced technology to contribute to the development of Korean archery. This is a clear example of how technological progress aimed at enhancing human experiences can also drive advancements in sports. Such technologies will eventually find broader applications, enriching our daily lives, which is why Hyundai Motor Group continues its relentless pursuit of innovation.