BowlSense Learn

Building BowlSense — A Smart Sensor Puck for Bowling

What if you could simulate your exact ball and layout before drilling? Here's what we're building and why.

I've been working on something I'm really excited about and wanted to share the early build journey. It's called BowlSense — a small sensor puck that fits inside a bowling ball and captures real throw data (rev rate, axis tilt, axis rotation, ball speed, even pin impact detection), paired with a simulation platform that lets you test different balls and layouts virtually before committing to a drill.

The Problem Most bowlers pick balls based on gut feel, pro shop recommendations, or YouTube reviews. Layout decisions (pin to PAP, drilling angle, VAL angle) are basically "trust the process" — you won't know if a layout works for YOUR game until it's drilled and you've thrown it on YOUR house shot. That's a $200+ gamble every time. If you are comparing the balls you already own, start with the free Arsenal Builder.

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What We're Building The Hardware A 9 axis IMU sensor (Seeed XIAO nRF52840 + ISM330DHCX) that sits inside the ball core BLE connection to your phone for real time data capture 416Hz sampling rate — captures every rotation, deflection, and pin impact Small enough to not disrupt ball dynamics The Software We built a full simulation and analysis platform.

Here's what it does today: Throw Capture — Connect the sensor via Bluetooth, throw your ball, get instant analysis. Rev rate, axis tilt, rotation, ball speed, and a 3D visualization of your ball's axis path. We even detect the exact impact point on the ball surface when it hits pins. Ball Simulator — Pick any ball from our 50+ ball database, select an oil pattern (house shot, PBA patterns, etc.

), dial in your throw profile, and simulate 3 game sets. See the ball path on a lane view, frame by frame scoring, strike/spare percentages. Compare multiple balls side by side. Ball Lab — This is the deep dive. Enter custom ball specs (RG, diff, coverstock, grit), set your dual angle layout (pin to PAP, drilling angle, VAL angle), bowler stats, and see exactly how layout changes affect ball motion.

The goal: test before you drill. Ball Database — 50+ balls with real specs, hook ratings, coverstock types, and pricing. Filter by solid/pearl/hybrid/urethane. Eventually this becomes your personal arsenal where saved calibration and throw history lives per ball.

Mobile Companion (iOS TestFlight now) — React Native app with BLE capture, 3D ball visualization, ball library with saved calibration profiles per ball, throw history, and data export. Calibrate once per ball, and your sensor alignment is saved forever.

Where We Are Functional prototype sensor in a ball — did our first real drop test this week Web platform is live with simulation, ball lab, ball catalog, capture, and onboarding iOS app on TestFlight with BLE capture, 3D axis visualization, ball library, calibration wizard Physics engine simulating ball motion across different oil patterns Pin impact detection working from real accelerometer data (26g+ spikes detected) The Roadmap March 2026 — MVP proshop fitting, integrating IMU into a standard ball core May 2026 — Closed beta with real bowlers on real lanes gathering telemetry August 2026 — Algorithm refinement with ML models trained on real throw data Q4 2026 — Public launch What's Next We're looking for feedback from real bowlers.

Does this solve a real problem for you? Would you use a "test before you drill" simulator? What data would you most want to see from a sensor in your ball? If you want to follow along with the build, sign up for our early access list — behind the scenes engineering updates, priority access to beta hardware, and founding member pricing.