Skiing is not just any other sport; it’s a breath-taking adventure! Boasting a history going back almost five millennia. Modern skiing has evolved with time, from its beginnings back in Scandinavia. Until the mid-19th century skiing was primarily used for transportation, and since then it has become a recreational sport.
With equipment’s evolving and ski lifts being developed, skiing turned into a widely acknowledged game over time. Cross-country, Ski jumping, Nordic combined, alpine skiing, speed skiing, freestyle skiing, ski boarding and snowboard are some of them, which have their own world cup tournament. All this requires some high level of skills and a set of sturdy equipment that includes skis, boots and binding, poles, skiing gloves, ski suits, ski helmets and ski goggles. Many of world’s leading accessory brands have bestowed the game with various products that ensure optimal safety of the players. However, tracking the player’s activity has been a key issue. If a player gets stuck somewhere, somehow, or loses path of the riding track, there were no product or service to direct the individual back, until the emergence of a company named RideOn. RideOn is an AI/AR driven Sports Company which has developed the world’s first smart Augmented Reality helmet and goggles for ski and snowboard.
Interact, Navigate, Engage and Play
RideOn develops Augmented Reality (AR) technologies and infrastructure for outdoor sports and activities – Using the latest techniques in vision, machine learning and sensor fusion.
Its premier products, smart goggles and helmets for skiing / snowboarding, are specially designed to augment activities in real-time.
These astonishing products enable quick and simple interactions, hands-free music, video, navigation, photos, SOS capabilities and engaging play and social activities!
Ski Goggles
RideOn brings AR to the slopes with the world’s first augmented reality ski goggles. It is a futuristic product that enables riders to record their experience with their goggles, using the built-in HD camera. They can even share their activities on Facebook LIVE. RideOn goggles also displays virtual maps and highlighted points of interest that help navigate the mountain slopes. Social features also allow you to see your friends location as well allows call or text fellow riders hands-free.. Additionally, the product adds extra layer of interaction with fun games like a virtual slalom track, or chasing your favorite athlete down the slopes. The goggles have a 24° (diagonal) display with brightness of ~3000 nits. It also has Micro USB for charging and data transfer along with BLE (Bluetooth 4.O) wireless connectivity. It also packs a great battery with up to 6 hours of continuous use and 24 standby hours.
The Next Generation of Skiing Helmets – introducing The MOHAWK (Launching season 18-19)
The world’s first and only smart Augmented Reality helmet for ski and snowboard, The MOHAWK is a RideOn’s upcoming flagship product. Building on the innovation of the first generation of smart goggles, the company has added more advanced features for a complete and fun solution.. Enabling better location and 3D mapping of tracks, new social interactions through text, voice call and even live video chat with fellow riders. The helmet monitors and displays essential stats like speed, heart rate, distance traveled, temperature, altitude and locations. It has a fully transparent SI-OLED HD display that makes skiing even safer and interesting. RideOn has always emphasized on user’s safety since its inception. Hence, one of the major features is a Virtual SOS button – allowing manual and/or an automatic activation in case of an emergency, GPS location based and connected with resorts and rescue services for quick assistance and recovery and communications.
Formed through a Vision
RideOn was founded in 2014 After its Founder and CEO Alon Getz, Lt Col (res) decided to use augmented reality to get the same hands-free, quick and valuable interactions as those he has when flying fighter planes: location, guidance, interacting with your companions easily and enabling safety features, making the same x10 improvement in fun and taking it to the slopes.
Alon is a reserved IAF F-16 lieutenant colonel. He has a resourceful experience of more than 10 years developing AR and fighter plane helmets. An expert in inertial sensors, navigation, hybrid/sensor fusion, and computer-vision. Few months later, RideOn developed the first prototypes using its unique design, and launched the first ever AR ski goggles.
In 2015, the company took to an Indiegogo campaign to launch its product. The campaign brought it a great publicity, and enormous amount of HYPE, with product videos seen by more than eight million people. More than 450 goggles were sold and delivered to early adopters and enthusiasts. Following the valuable feedbacks from professional skiers and snowboarders around the world, using their innovative goggles on the slopes has helped RideOn further advance the product and refine it to create the next generation of ski helmets. The interactive features of the goggles and helmets evolved closely with the precious feedback and support of the community.
The next step in fun, seamless interaction
RideOn has developed two revolutionary skiing products. It now aims to sell it in the most dominating skiing market, i.e., China. China has declared that there will be almost 300 million skiers by the time we reach the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics. Hence, the company is willing to cash-in on this opportunity by collaborating with market leaders in China. RideOn aims to create more products for outdoor sports and activities such as motorcycling, bicycle riding among others, utilizing the same patented infrastructure and technology stack for outdoor AR.
Source :-The 10 Most Promising Sports Solution Providers 2018
