Smarts Darts is the hottest product to hit the bar and pub scene in years. Darts as a game has become hugely popular over recent years, with fanatical support at competitions, and more and more players taking up the game at home.
We’ve taken the game of darts to the next level, with our interactive darts system we’ve enabled you to play a whole host of fun games with your friends - you don’t have to be a pro player, or a whizz at maths to have fun. The Smarts Darts system plays all the amazing games and does all the scoring for you automatically.
Watch the video below for a full walkthrough of the incredible Augmented Reality Darts system, showing the hardware, the software and learn about how the incredible control operators have at their fingertips.
It is worth noting that Bullseye and Augmented Reality Darts is currently only available for commercial premises.
This is due to its unique finance model which enables premises to license the system for a low upfront cost and pay per hour of system use, instead of employing a larger, more restrictive upfront cost. This license includes software license, game use and servicing.
For a Home Interactive Smartboard, check out the Unicorn Smartboard here.
How it works
The Smarts Interactive Darts system consists of:
- A Unicorn Smartboard dartboard
- A big-screen TV
- A touchscreen user interface to control the gaming experience
Using the very latest dartboard technology the Smartboard senses where the darts have landed on the board. This registers the score and updates all the game graphics on a TV placed near to the dartboard (usually above) and on the touchscreen user interface. The basic game rules are always displayed on the touchscreen, but the user is guided through the game process on the main big screen. The graphics willl show who is throwing, who's up next, what the current scores are and what players should aim for with each throw.
The whole system is controlled via a touchscreen user interface which can be located somewhere near the throw line.
Is it the same system that Flight Club uses?
No. The Flight Club system uses cameras to track where the dart has landed. We have found in testing that our Smartboard is more accurate than Flight Club's camera system.
Camera systems Vs Smartboard
At present, a Smartboard which detects dart locations in a bristle dart board is the most accurate system in the world. They require no calibration (just hang it on the wall), no prohibitively expensive camera systems and less fickle lighting setups to work. Due to its extremely robust nature, the Smartboard system is much more suited to the hospitality industry - even a nudge to a camera system can result in an engineer callout to recalibrate.
Some camera systems do have a wider field of view, allowing for the recording of darts missing the board - but our system has solutions to combat this.
Most importantly, a Smartboard is the only detection method that enables Augmented Reality Darts.
SMARTS – Interactive Darts
The SMARTS Interactive Darts system uses the Smartboard to automatically detect where darts have landed and instantly displays the results on a TV screen or monitor above the board. The system is controlled via a touchscreen user interface which is located somewhere near the throw line.
The basic game rules are always displayed on the touchscreen, but the user is guided through the game process by the graphics on the TV screen or monitor. The graphics show who is throwing, who’s up next, what the current scores are and what players should aim for with each throw.
What’s the difference between SMARTS interactive darts and Augmented Reality darts?
We offer two different interactive darts systems, here are the key differences to help you decide which is best for your venue:
The Smartboard dartboard
The system uses a real dartboard that uses real darts. It’s not what is known as a soft tip dartboard. The dartboard is manufactured by Unicorn and is made to the same exacting standards as the Unicorn HD Eclipse 2 - the board used in all professional (PDC) events.
- Unicorn are our joint venture partner and we have exclusivity of the board for commercial use.
- The dartboard is not the same as the board which can be bought for domestic use. The domestic board is battery powered and communicates via Bluetooth.
- We have worked with Unicorn to develop a serial version of the board that is powered by and communicates through USB.
- The version we use is green and red
The board detects spikes in electromagnetism to determine where and when darts have landed in it. Any steel tip darts can be used but they need to be magnetised for detection. To do this, the tips of the darts are inserted into a small hole on the front of the board that contains a magnet. Each dart takes 5-10 seconds to magnetise and will remain magnetised for 6+ months.
Mountable Protective Tablet Case
If you'd like a bit more flexibility to your set up compared to our turnkey packages then you can opt for our mountable protective tablet case. Easily mounted on any table or solid surface, place your touch screen interface in a spot that works for your venue.
Tech Types:
Turnkey Standard:
The Turnkey Standard package will include:
-
Backboard
- Lane divider
- Installation
- Site survey
Turkey Premium:
The Turnkey Premium package will include:
- Backboard
- Premium lane divider
- Installation
- Site survey
User interface
The user interface has been designed to be slick, quick and easy to use. Gaming sessions for players are for a set period of time, triggering at the point of entering their booking reference into the user interface. These codes reference booking numbers from whichever system they're linked to (more about this under session management), and enable sessions for a predetermined amount of time and players.
There's a built-in grace period which allows bookings to begin up to 15 minutes prior to the start time, for ease of use.
On logging into their game, this is a short preview of the player interface:
During the interactions:
- Teams can be selected randomly, manually by players via a drag-and-drop, or individuals can play against pairs.
- Players can choose a difficulty level before beginning.
- Once a game has started, the touchscreen UI presents a selection of controls.
- Guests can skip back and forth between players, delete erroneous scores, and tap the “miss” button for any darts that don’t hit the board.
- This in-game interface is reversible so the “miss” button is easily accessible relative to the position of the touchscreen.
- The menu button at the bottom enables guests to revisit the player entry screen at any time. From there they can add or edit players, set the difficulty settings, view the trophy table, view F&B menus and quit the current game.
Further customer controls
We have reduced the need for staffing for the Augmented Reality Darts system by providing customers an array of controls that they can access from the user interface. The menus are intuitive and simple, making it easy for customers to navigate. They include the ability to:
- Add and remove players
- Browse and select games
- View leaderboards
- Call server
- View Menus
- Order and Pay - Coming Soon
Games!
Our Smarts Interactive Darts system has an amazing array of games. As the system develops further, more and more games will be available which will keep your customers coming back for the next big thing.
Our current array of available games are:
You can check out the games in action with our collection of videos below (use the player controls to progress through each game)
The back-end system
To keep bookings and overviews of the games simple, our Augmented Reality Darts system provides a full back-end system enabling staff to have full control at any time.
The system includes:
- Customer Booking System
- Online Booking and Payment System - we provide code for your website to enable you to manage your own bookings
- Online Session Management - see your bookings, lanes in use, start and end sessions
- Data and Analytics Platform
Session Management
There are two options for controlling session bookings:
1. 501 Session Management System
- An online portal that allows users to create and edit sessions across all products, including Smarts Darts, Augmented Reality Darts, and Shuffle Pucks shuffleboard.
- If your venue already has an online booking and reservation platform in place, we recommend using our system in conjunction with your existing system. Depending on your requirements and size of the order we can look into integrating with your system.
2. Existing Integrations
We are currently able to offer integrations with the following existing booking systems:
- Design My Night – to control our systems using DMN booking reference numbers you will need to provide your DMN API key. In some instances, DMN will charge for access to this key (typically £25/week).
- Briq – we are in the process of integrating with this system. Briq charge 2% of online transactions plus a card processing fee (~1.5% + 20p).
Customisation
All darts systems can be customised to make them an integral part of the venue’s brand. Providing the necessary graphics are available, we can fully customise the tablets and projected image on the surround.
We will produce the necessary graphics provided customers provide us with the appropriate assets in EPS, AI or PDF format. Alternatively, we can issue templates and customers can use their own creative teams to customise the systems.
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SETTING UP
In this section, there is information on what is included when this product is licensed from us:
Complete Consultation
We will help you develop this concept for your location every step of the way. Working with you on the products, how they operate, and how to optimise performance. Our sales team are on hand on the phone, by email, live chat, or in person in our showrooms.
We also offer international sales, consulting with you on both your requirements and the logistics to get all the products to you swiftly and safely. In terms of servicing most issues can be fixed by our service technicians over the internet. If parts are needed they are easy to fit or replace and can be shipped to you quickly and cost effectively.
Lead Times
5 to 8 weeks from point of order to installation.
Pricing - Call for pricing.
Our pricing model is designed to give commercial venues the opportunity to provide the latest competitive socialising experiences without incurring huge setup costs.
All products follow the same model – an upfront fee (one-time investment) followed by a recurring license (software subscription). The upfront fee does not constitute a purchase of the hardware. We retain the title of the goods. The upfront fee covers onboarding, commissioning, training and, in the instance of Turnkey/Turnkey Premium, installation.
Delivery is included for UK orders but not for international orders.
We charge a fee based on the utilisation of the system.
Hardware Supplied
We provide everything you need:
- Big Screen TV - choose between 32” and 43” sizes, larger are available if you want to be super flash!
- Unicorn Commercial Smartboard
- Touchscreen User Interface
- Unicorn Darts - 3 sets
- SuperTrue Flights
- Cabling
- Instructions for assembly
You just need to provide:
- Two mains sockets
- One ethernet socket to connect to the internet
Optional Extras
- Bigger screens - for the interactive darts packages, larger screens can be offered (see Pricing Guide for detail). Please take into consideration that larger screens require more vertical space.
- Screen protectors - stop customers spearing your nice TVs with their darts.
- Lighting Surround System - Unicorn Solar Lighting surround
Complete Support
Not only do we provide you with the latest and greatest in interactive darts systems, but we also provide you with all the back-up and support you will need:
- Custom branding
- Staff Training
- Technical support
- Software and game updates
- Account management
Service Support
Our products are designed so that any issues that present themselves are quickly identifiable and easily remedied. We provide help desk support for venues which involves stepping through our troubleshooting guide. Depending on what the issue is, if it is not resolved over the phone, we will ship a replacement part. The process is as follows…
- Call from venue
- Help desk troubleshooting
- Need for replacement part identified
- Replacement part shipped (customer invoiced)
- Customer ships the faulty part back to us.
- Returned parts examined and a resultant credit note or invoice for wear and tear is produced
- Replacement boards - provide up to 2 replacement boards per year based on utilisation - so if not warranted won’t be replaced.
Additional Packs
- Sensor Pack - this will detect that your turn has ended using a camera to see when you have walked to the board to get your darts. The system can then workout if one or more of you darts missed the board or bounced out. This saves you having to press the Miss button whenever this happens.
- Social Pack - this provides a camera which will record the player’s reactions to their gameplay and enable a video clip to be sent to you by email for you to share on social media. It’s a great way for players to share the action from their night out, and for commercial venues to have user generated content shared online on social media to show what a great time people had when visiting your venue. This option is Instagram/Facebook “gold” for stacks of high quality publicity for your offering.
Both of these options are in the pipeline, with pricing and availability available soon. They can be retrofitted to your system should you purchase and have yours installed before they have been released.
Data Platform
We capture data in granular detail so that you can make informed decisions on the way you run your businesses. You can track all aspects of usage to assess performance, profitability and opportunities to improve and amend the way you charge. This is provided free of charge as part of the system.
We also use the data platform as a basis for billing.
Visit Our Showrooms
If you fancy checking out one of our fantastic interactive darts systems in the flesh, then pop into our showroom in Bristol.
We have both the Smarts and Augmented Reality Interactive Darts systems installed for you to try out.
For more details see our Showroom page. For directions see our How to Find Us page. We have plenty of fantastic games room products on display, to whet your appetite for future purchases.
