<img src="http://www.nitromater.com/gallery/files/1/jegs_md.jpg" alt="jegs_md" align="right"borders="0"/>
NORWALK, Ohio (June 25) -- The ground-pounding fury of NHRA Championship Drag Racing is literally about to invade your living room via the technology offered by ButtKicker. Working in conjuction with Scott "Woody" Woodruff of Team JEGS, technicians with the Westerville, Ohio-based company are conducting beta tests with Jeg Coughlin Jr. this weekend at the national event in Norwalk to advance their work in conveying a much more realistic drag racing experience to viewers at home.
Utilizing a small motor attached to the furniture or floors in the end user's home, ButtKicker will transfer low frequency audio through the viewer's body to simulate the feeling of being in a racecar during a high-speed, quarter-mile pass.
The 10-year-old company already brings concerts and numerous other sports to their customers through their unique systems, which cost between $350-$400 at most chain audio-visual stores, but this is their first foray into motorsports.
"Racing is actually the most logical sport for us to bring to the living room because there's a lot of vibration and movement involved," said Ken McCaw, the founder of the company who spearheads product development. "Although nothing will ever exactly replicate that feeling of being in the stands or down on the starting line when two cars take off, I believe we can enhance the viewing experience quite a bit. That's why were exploring this further with Woody and Jeg Coughlin to see what we can do for NHRA fans."
With the blessings of NHRA officials, Coughlin will allow a credit-card sized transmitting device to be mounted in the cockpit of his JEGS.com Chevrolet Cobalt during this weekend's race. Utilizing Bluetooth technology, the device will transmit all of the tactile things Coughlin experiences in the car to a system that ultimately transfers the data to the end user in real time.
"Although it may seem complicated, it's actually a very basic system, much like transmitting music," McCaw said. "The difference is you don't hear it, you feel it."
ButtKicker units already are installed in more than 75,000 home theaters around the country and NASA utilizes the devices as part of its Shuttle Launch Experience at Kennedy Space Center. Several airline companies have installed them in flight simulators to provide a more realistic experience for budding pilots. Even big-time music acts like the Rolling Stones employ ButtKicker to help them feel the rhythm of their music when they perform.
"I'm excited to be working with Ken and his staff," Woodruff said. "Anyone that loves drag racing and has been to a race knows the 'wow factor' new fans experience when they come out to a national event. Usually they're hooked on the sport at that point. Well now we'll be able to reach even deeper into the market place and wow people at home that might not have a chance to come to the races in person."
As for established fans of the sport, Woodruff says it will quickly turn into a "must-have" item.
"The die-hards are gonna dig it," Woodruff said. "It makes it so much better all the way around. ESPN does a great job with the visual and audio they put out with the Hi-Def broadcasts of the races. Now you can have the visceral experience as well. I watched a football game with the system installed and you could feel the hits and the roar of the crowd on big plays. It was fantastic. It's totally different from just watching it the old way."
Although Coughlin will be the first test pilot for the product (see ButtKicker®) Woodruff will be selecting drivers from other professional classes to help develop and fine-tune the data acquisition process.
"Anything that helps the fans have a positive experience with our sport is great in my book," he said. "This definitely will do that. No question about it."
JEGS helps to enhance the NHRA TV experience
NORWALK, Ohio (June 25) -- The ground-pounding fury of NHRA Championship Drag Racing is literally about to invade your living room via the technology offered by ButtKicker. Working in conjuction with Scott "Woody" Woodruff of Team JEGS, technicians with the Westerville, Ohio-based company are conducting beta tests with Jeg Coughlin Jr. this weekend at the national event in Norwalk to advance their work in conveying a much more realistic drag racing experience to viewers at home.
Utilizing a small motor attached to the furniture or floors in the end user's home, ButtKicker will transfer low frequency audio through the viewer's body to simulate the feeling of being in a racecar during a high-speed, quarter-mile pass.
The 10-year-old company already brings concerts and numerous other sports to their customers through their unique systems, which cost between $350-$400 at most chain audio-visual stores, but this is their first foray into motorsports.
"Racing is actually the most logical sport for us to bring to the living room because there's a lot of vibration and movement involved," said Ken McCaw, the founder of the company who spearheads product development. "Although nothing will ever exactly replicate that feeling of being in the stands or down on the starting line when two cars take off, I believe we can enhance the viewing experience quite a bit. That's why were exploring this further with Woody and Jeg Coughlin to see what we can do for NHRA fans."
With the blessings of NHRA officials, Coughlin will allow a credit-card sized transmitting device to be mounted in the cockpit of his JEGS.com Chevrolet Cobalt during this weekend's race. Utilizing Bluetooth technology, the device will transmit all of the tactile things Coughlin experiences in the car to a system that ultimately transfers the data to the end user in real time.
"Although it may seem complicated, it's actually a very basic system, much like transmitting music," McCaw said. "The difference is you don't hear it, you feel it."
ButtKicker units already are installed in more than 75,000 home theaters around the country and NASA utilizes the devices as part of its Shuttle Launch Experience at Kennedy Space Center. Several airline companies have installed them in flight simulators to provide a more realistic experience for budding pilots. Even big-time music acts like the Rolling Stones employ ButtKicker to help them feel the rhythm of their music when they perform.
"I'm excited to be working with Ken and his staff," Woodruff said. "Anyone that loves drag racing and has been to a race knows the 'wow factor' new fans experience when they come out to a national event. Usually they're hooked on the sport at that point. Well now we'll be able to reach even deeper into the market place and wow people at home that might not have a chance to come to the races in person."
As for established fans of the sport, Woodruff says it will quickly turn into a "must-have" item.
"The die-hards are gonna dig it," Woodruff said. "It makes it so much better all the way around. ESPN does a great job with the visual and audio they put out with the Hi-Def broadcasts of the races. Now you can have the visceral experience as well. I watched a football game with the system installed and you could feel the hits and the roar of the crowd on big plays. It was fantastic. It's totally different from just watching it the old way."
Although Coughlin will be the first test pilot for the product (see ButtKicker®) Woodruff will be selecting drivers from other professional classes to help develop and fine-tune the data acquisition process.
"Anything that helps the fans have a positive experience with our sport is great in my book," he said. "This definitely will do that. No question about it."
