Nokia Brier Hog-line Violation System Has U of S Origin

Posted March 05, 2004


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - March 5th, 2004 2004-03-06-ENG

Nokia Brier Hog-line Violation System Has U of S Origin

A University of Saskatchewan Electrical Engineer Professor and his students
have developed an unique hog-line violation system which has been adopted
by the Canadian Curling Association and the World Curling Federation and
will be used at major curling competitions worldwide, including the Nokia
Brier currently underway.

The system - called the Eye on the Hog - indicates hog-line violations by
triggering a light signal when the rock has cleared the line: green
indicates a valid release and red indicates a violation. The system
eliminates the need for hog-line judges.

The concept is simple. A magnetic strip is placed underneath the ice
surface, and the rocks are equipped with special sensors in the handle.

Professor Eric Salt came up with the initial idea for the system and built a
prototype with the help of four fourth year electrical engineering students
during a design class. The system was then redesigned and commercialized by
Startco Engineering, a Saskatoon-based company.

Salt said: "There's nothing out there that does this. The sensor has been in
great demand particularly among national curling judges who say it greatly
improves detection of hog-line violations. Also, the ingenuity of the sensor
design and its low cost make it very attractive to the market."

Startco has already sold 200 sensors to the Canadian Curling Association and
160 to the World Curling Federation.

Startco President Garry Paulson and a U of S alumnus added: "Eye on the Hog
provides something the curling world has needed for a long time. It needed
precise, impartial, hog-line judging. This need is demonstrated by the
immediate acceptance of both the CCA and the WCF."

Engineering Dean Claude Laguë said: "As well as being an excellent
product which benefits curling it was also exciting to see a group of
engineering students guided by their professor, tackling a very practical
problem with a unique application."

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For more information, contact:

Eric Salt
Professor Electrical Engineering
College of Engineering
University of Saskatchewan
Tel: (306) 966-5389


Claude Laguë
Dean
College of Engineering
University of Saskatchewan
Tel: (306) 966-5273

Garry Paulson
CEO Startco
Tel: (306) 373-5505