When the world's best clay pigeon shooters met in Italy in July, Norwegian startup Travision had one of the highlights. They presented and demonstrated their revolutionary AI-based video solution, ClayTracer, to athletes, coaches, referees, industry professionals, and spectators. The response was overwhelming
"They are impressed with how precise and fast the detection is, and most of them believe this can change the sport, even in terms of TV."
These are the words of Simen Løkka, CEO and founder of Travision AS. He was present in Italy earlier this summer when the fifth round of the clay pigeon shooting World Cup took place.
Travision had a fantastic opportunity to showcase its high-tech video solution, ClayTracer, to the elite of the worldwide sport. ClayTracer is the world's only fully automatic video assistant referee, known as VAR in English, for clay pigeon shooting, and the potential of the solution is enormous.
Positive impact on all aspects of the sport
The response Løkka received in Italy includes feedback that the solution can provide valuable data to help athletes improve. This will make the sport more engaging and accessible.
"When shooters get our system as an app, what used to be done manually will now be automated, making the technology beneficial for training," the founder exlains.
ClayTracer relies on a massive amount of data. Thanks to collaboration with the Italian shooting range Trap Concaverde, which hosted the World Cup in July, Travision was able to train its algorithm with data from thousands of shots to achieve the highest accuracy possible.
Today, ClayTracer can determine with 98 percent accuracy whether the shooter hit or missed the clay pigeon.
I'm impressed by how a machine can perceive and judge the outcome of a shot.
Ivan Carella, CEO of Trap Concaverde Shooting Range
A camera tracks the clay pigeon in the air, and images of the shooting range and the fragments of the clay pigeon after a hit are displayed on a large screen. The result is shown in real-time, and in case of doubt, the referee can review the shot to ensure the decision is correct.
"ClayTracer benefits everyone in clay pigeon shooting. Athletes and coaches gain access to unique data they can use to improve training, referees have an incredible tool to avoid incorrect judgments, and the viewer experience, both at the venue and for those watching the broadcasts, is greatly enhanced," says Løkka.
Recognition from the Italian Federation
The short version of how the Norwegian company Travision managed to gain a foothold in the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Cup is that the Italian Federation for Olympic Trap, FITAV, has recognized ClayTracer.
This recognition came about when the president of FITAV received a demonstration of the video system in 2021 during a visit to the Trap Concaverde shooting range, which had been Travision's testing ground for several years.
Trap Concaverde also hosted the World Cup this summer, providing Travision with an opportunity to showcase its product to the entire sport and industry.
"I have been following Travision since the first pilot was installed here. I am impressed with how a machine can perceive and judge the outcome of a shot," says Ivan Carella, CEO of Trap Concaverde Shooting Range.
The video solution was presented during a conference focused on digital communication and the digital development of the sport, and during the televised competition in Olympic trap, ClayTracer was demonstrated in practice.
The road ahead
The repercussions of the demonstration at the clay pigeon shooting World Cup in Italy are yet to be seen, but Simen Løkka is clear that Travision would not have come as far as it has today without a professional and positive partner like Trap Concaverde.
"The collaboration with Ivan and Concaverde has been crucial for the development of ClayTracer. We could not have trained and optimized our algorithm without the data we have gained access to," says the Norwegian founder.
Recognition from FITAV contributed significantly to Travision's first sale of ClayTracer. Last year, an agreement was reached to install eight systems on various Italian shooting ranges in 2023.
"In addition, we have initiated a pilot project with FITAV. This means that our system will be installed on several Italian shooting ranges under the supervision of the federation. They have entrusted us to carry out a pilot project, and we are incredibly grateful for the opportunity," says Løkka.
At the same time, Travision is working to further develop its product. The goal is for the images from ClayTracer to cover all visualization needs in clay pigeon shooting.
"In the future, we will move to the USA, where we will focus on American trap, a discipline very similar to Olympic Trap (Italy) and Hunter Trap (Norway), which the system is trained on," reveals Løkka.
The US market has over 250,000 facilities, making it a significant market and a long-term goal for Travision.
"This is just the beginning of the adventure," says an optimistic Simen Løkka.