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This paper introduces a novel method for automatically estimating impact time, location, and shuttlecock speed in badminton smashes using synchronized event cameras. The approach leverages event rate statistics for swing interval detection, shuttlecock trajectory inflection for impact time estimation, ellipse fitting for impact location, and sagittal plane calculations for shuttlecock speed. Validation against a high-speed camera system across 125 trials demonstrated accurate estimation of these parameters, with biases of 1.84 ms for impact time, 3.45 mm and -1.92 mm for impact location, and -1.00 m/s for shuttlecock speed.
Event cameras can now accurately and automatically quantify key performance metrics in badminton smashes, offering a practical alternative to traditional high-speed camera setups.
Quantifying impact phenomena in badminton smashes is important for evaluating both athletic performance and equipment; however, conventional measurement systems involve trade-offs between temporal resolution, data efficiency, and preparation effort. This study proposes a measurement method using two synchronized event cameras to automatically estimate impact time, impact location on the racket face, and post-impact shuttlecock speed in an integrated manner within the same trial. The swing interval was detected from event rate statistics, impact time was estimated from the shuttlecock trajectory inflection in the lateral-view event data, impact location was determined by ellipse fitting to the racket face in the rear-view event image, and shuttlecock speed was calculated in the sagittal plane. To validate the proposed method, Bland-Altman analysis was performed against a high-speed camera-based reference method using 125 smash trials from five players. Impact time and shuttlecock speed were estimated in all 124 analyzable trials, and impact location was estimated in 93.5% (116/124). The bias (95% CI) for impact time, medio-lateral impact location, longitudinal impact location, and shuttlecock speed were 1.84 ms (1.45 to 2.23), 3.45 mm (2.18 to 4.72), -1.92 mm (-2.97 to -0.88), and -1.00 m/s (-2.46 to 0.46), respectively. No proportional bias was observed for any metric. These results suggest that the proposed method can serve as a useful tool for integrated assessment of badminton smash performance and equipment in practical settings.