July 10, 2019 – Vancouver-based sports technology company, FORM, has announced the FORM Swim Goggles, a pair of swim goggles with a see-through, augmented-reality display that delivers performance metrics in real time. Developed over the past four years in collaboration with competitive swimmers, coaches, and former Olympians, the FORM Swim Goggles are aimed at assisting swimming training with AR.
Wearable devices such as running watches and bike computers give athletes the ability to access performance metrics in real time whilst on land, however The FORM Swim Goggles are aimed at addressing swimmers needs whilst in the pool.
“I swam competitively for 14 years and really felt the pain of not being able to access my metrics in real time,” said FORM Founder and CEO, Dan Eisenhardt. “The idea for FORM came about many years ago, but we are only now entering a time when technology lets us deliver this experience seamlessly in a premium pair of swim goggles. We’re proud that, through a team of top industry talent, we’ve been able to solve a fundamental problem in swimming.”
The FORM Swim Goggles combine three key components:
- An augmented-reality display integrated into the goggles lens, which provides an unobtrusive, see-through experience that appears in focus;
- A miniaturized onboard computer – With a compact profile and 16 hours of battery life, the onboard computer uses artificial intelligence to track and display metrics like split times, distance, stroke rate, and stroke count;
- A premium swim goggles design. FORM uses high-grade materials to provide optimal fit, durability, and hydrodynamics in a design that is meant to feel just like a regular pair of swim goggles.
Launching alongside the FORM Swim Goggles is the FORM Swim App for iPhone and Android. The app enables swimmers and coaches to review and share workouts recorded by the goggles as well as to track progress over time. It also allows the wearer to customize exactly which metrics are displayed, and when each metric appears: while swimming, after turns, or during rest.
“I competed in two Olympic Games: 2004 and 2012,” said Scott Dickens, Director of Strategic Partnerships at FORM. “At the elite level, everything is measured down to the hundredth of a second. Having access to real-time metrics in your goggles is an absolute game-changer. FORM enables both swimmers and coaches to be more in tune with what’s happening in the moment. Even if you’re not a high-level swimmer, FORM makes swimming much more engaging and just plain fun. You always know exactly what you’re doing, and you’re able to compete with yourself while you swim.”
FORM was founded by Dan Eisenhardt, a sports technology entrepreneur and former NJCAA competitive swimmer. His previous company – Recon Instruments, which provided augmented-reality eyewear for sports – was acquired by Intel in 2015. According to FORM, the company employs many of the people from that original team, leveraging their combined expertise in sports-eyewear design, activity-tracking algorithms, and augmented-reality optics.
The FORM Swim Goggles will be available and ready to ship internationally on August 7 from FORM’s website, for USD $199. The FORM Swim App will be available on August 7 as a free download from the App Store and Google Play.
Video credit: FORM/YouTube
About the author
Sam Sprigg
Sam is the Founder and Managing Editor of Auganix. With a background in research and report writing, he has been covering XR industry news for the past seven years.
