Lap counts in training, synced-start gala timing, relay take-off checks
Software: Basic alerts included · optional plans up to $10 per club per month (optional season history)
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How it fits together
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01
The whole SplitBlock
A block-mounted pod counts laps and splits using a camera that outputs only head boxes, and shows them at the wall and on a phone.
02Brain
Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W (LanePod)
The brain: it runs the splitblock pod service program
03
AI camera (IMX500)
Finds swimmers' heads on the sensor; no images leave it
Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W (LanePod) · CSI-2 ribbon cable · Head boxes at 30 fps
04
4-digit display
Shows the lap count or split at the wall
Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W (LanePod) · I²C (4 wires) · Lap and split digits
05
PowerBoost 1000C
Charges the cell and lifts it to 5 V
Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W (LanePod) · 5 V power lead · 5 V power
06
10,050 mAh Li-ion pack
Runs the pod for about 12 hours
Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W (LanePod) · Lead to PowerBoost · 3.7 V battery power
07
StartBox horn listener
Hears the start horn and sends one start message
XIAO ESP32-S3 · ESP-NOW radio · One start message
08
TapGrip timer handle
Times start to stop on the timekeeper's button press
XIAO ESP32-C3 · ESP-NOW radio · Lane time and stop press
09
All connected
7 key parts, one program, and your phone
What it is
A small camera and display that clamps on a pool's starting block, one per lane.
What it does
Who it's for
Age-group and masters swim clubs, and high-school and college teams.
How the parts connect
Every part, what links it to the brain, and how the data reaches your phone. A solid line is a cable; a dashed line is a radio link.
The program
cam = Picamera2()
cam.start() # IMX500 outputs tensors only
tracker = HeadTracker(zone_m=(0.6, 6.0), line_m=1.5)
while True:
meta = cam.capture_metadata()
boxes = imx500.get_outputs(meta) # head boxes + confidence
for wall in tracker.update(boxes, t=meta['SensorTimestamp']):
sw = assign(wall, order, last_split) # next swimmer expected
split = wall.in_t - last_in[sw]
last_in[sw] = wall.in_t
display.show(lap_count(sw), split) # I2C 7-segment
ws.send(json.dumps({'t': 'wall', 'lane': LANE, 'sw': sw, 'split50': split}))To your phone
Coach phone or tablet browser
One screen for each job SplitBlock does.
Laps and splitsFour swimmers share lane 3 on a 10 × 100 set. The pod on the block shows each one's lap and split at the wall, with nothing to wear.
Pass checkSwimmer D catches C mid-set and overtakes. The pod could mix them up, so it asks the coach to confirm instead of guessing.
Gala timingAt a club gala the StartBox hears the starter's horn and starts every timekeeper's handle at once. Each timekeeper just presses stop at the touch.
App screens with sample data. The interface is in development.
| Wall split | 36.41 s per 50 | Each wall |
|---|---|---|
| Lap count | Lap 6 | Each wall |
| Pass flag | Possible pass, lane 3 | On close crossings |
| Set plan | 10 × 100 on 1:40 | Each set |
| Pod battery | 71% | Every minute |
No images are read out in normal use. Swimmers show as initials; data stays on the pods.
CAD design · Rev A3 TakeOff design complete, all hardware fit-checked in CAD, gala, relay and start logic checked in software, not built
| AI processor | Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W (tracking, display, Wi-Fi); detector runs on the IMX500 sensor |
|---|---|
| Camera | Raspberry Pi AI Camera (Sony IMX500), 67 × 53° view, 30 fps |
| Sensors | Adafruit 1.2 inch 4-digit 7-segment lane display · 12 mm IP67 push button (wake / lane reset) · GalaTime TapGrip: 19 mm IP67 stop button, 0.91" OLED, haptic · GalaTime StartBox: MAX9814 mic at the horn, 3.5 mm wired start-line input · TakeOff: Velostat pressure strip on the block edge, XIAO ESP32-S3 Sense camera looking down at the wall |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi to the lane-1 pod, which runs the access point and coach web page · WebSocket JSON messages (no images) · GalaTime: one ESP-NOW start message to every TapGrip; results page and CSV export from the StartBox |
| Power | Adafruit 10,050 mAh Li-ion pack with PowerBoost 1000C, about 11.8 h per charge (est.); IP67 USB-C socket, charged off the wet deck |
| Enclosure | White ASA case with acrylic display and camera windows, gasketed lid with drip visor; black ASA split clamp for the block tube; designed to be splash-proof, no IP claim |
| Dimensions | Case about 140 × 80 × 90 mm |
| Split line | 1.5 m from the wall (1.0 m for open turns) |
|---|---|
| Split timing | About 8–17 ms (est.) |
| Lap count | Every wall at the block end |
| Lane traffic | Several swimmers sent 3–5 s apart |
| Camera | Sony IMX500 with on-sensor detector |
|---|---|
| Frame rate | 30 fps |
| Images | None stored or sent in normal mode |
| Working zone | About 0.6–6 m from the wall |
| Runtime | About 11.8 h per charge (est.) |
|---|---|
| Recharge | About 10 h at 1 A, overnight |
| Mount | Split clamp on a horizontal block tube; no drilling |
Targets for production units; they may change during development.
Hardware: $279–$1,499 per LanePod or 6-lane kit
Software: Basic alerts included · optional plans up to $10 per club per month (optional season history)
Target prices: $279 per LanePod, $1,499 for a 6-lane kit, $599 for a GalaTime kit (8 TapGrips + StartBox), $49 per extra TapGrip. Parts cost at quantity 1 is about $197 per pod, about $27 per TapGrip and $36 per StartBox (est.).
$279 (target)
One pod for one lane.
$1,499 (target)
Six pods for a club training pool.
$10/month (est.)
Optional history for head coaches.
Indicative launch pricing in USD, excluding taxes and shipping. Final pricing is confirmed before any balance is charged.
Community
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From the product lab · ideation phase
No. SplitBlock is a concept in the in-house design and testing stage. It is designed and fit-checked in CAD, but nothing has been built, the detector is not yet trained, and all accuracy numbers are computed estimates.
No. TakeOff is an aid, not certified automatic officiating equipment. It shows the relay take-off judge a measured margin for each changeover, and anything within 0.05 s is shown as CLOSE and left to the judges. The judges still need double confirmation and mark their own slips, and only the referee can disqualify. The meet referee or league must agree to its use.
The strip times the feet leaving to about 1 ms. The touch comes from a camera at about 50 frames a second, so it is within about 0.02 s (est.). That is why the CLOSE band is 0.05 s each way. These are computed figures; nothing has been measured in a pool yet.
No. It flags a swimmer whose feet left before the horn, or whose weight moved forward just before it, so the referee can compare it with the starter's view. Leg twitches are ignored, as the rules say, and the referee makes every decision.
GalaTime is a semi-automatic timing aid: the start is electronic (the horn) and the stop is the timekeeper's press. Swimming rules recognise that kind of timing, and the official time still comes from the timekeepers' presses using the rulebook method (two agree, the middle time, or the average). The meet referee decides, a league or meet must agree to use it, and it is not automatic touchpad timing, so it is not for records. The camera time is only a check and is never the official time.
One per lane, plus spares, which is the minimum many rulebooks allow. Two or three grips per lane give a more reliable official time. If a grip misses the start it shows NO START and the timekeeper uses a backup watch.
The pod faces away from the blocks, runs the detector on the sensor and reads out only head boxes, so no image is stored or sent in normal use. That is a design choice, not a compliance claim: a club welfare officer must sign off before use, and some pools may refuse any camera on deck.
Swimmers are matched by send-off order and lane side. When two heads arrive close together, the pod flags a possible pass instead of guessing, and the coach confirms it with a tap.
It needs a horizontal tube on the block, outboard of where backstrokers hold. Some blocks have none, and the clamp is sized per block model, so we plan to measure common blocks first.
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Concept · target $279