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Heads Up Display for Snowboard Goggles

7K views 24 replies 9 participants last post by  megladan 
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#1 ·
Hey guys, i'm an innovator looking into creating a heads up display readout for a pair of snowboard/ski goggles.

What do you think of the idea? what kind of information would be useful? i.e stopwatch, time, altitude etc
 
#5 ·
Personally I think that it is an over the top idea(much like Burtons Audex jackets) and would probably cause accidents on the mountain due to something blocking your vision. But if you were to make such a thing, integrating an interactive trail map would be useful to alot of people; also having the ability to mark your locations kind of like a GPS and landmarking so if you found someplace that had a sweet kicker or you could build one or just wanted to find you way around the mountaina little easier that would be a neat thing to have. But the reality of it is that the goggles would be so huge and weigh so much that the inconvience of wearing them would probably turn people off from buying them, along with the price tag that would probably be attached to them. Plus Goggles are one of those things that when you bite it go flying and get filled with snow which in turn would probably destroy whatever electronics inside the goggle.
 
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#6 ·
watch tv :D that would be awesome but not safe lol. i believe something similar is invented already. have u played ghost recon games. that heads up display in it is apparently going to be used by the us army in 2009
 
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#8 ·
Dcp584 said:
Personally I think that it is an over the top idea(much like Burtons Audex jackets) and would probably cause accidents on the mountain due to something blocking your vision. But if you were to make such a thing, integrating an interactive trail map would be useful to alot of people; also having the ability to mark your locations kind of like a GPS and landmarking so if you found someplace that had a sweet kicker or you could build one or just wanted to find you way around the mountaina little easier that would be a neat thing to have. But the reality of it is that the goggles would be so huge and weigh so much that the inconvience of wearing them would probably turn people off from buying them, along with the price tag that would probably be attached to them. Plus Goggles are one of those things that when you bite it go flying and get filled with snow which in turn would probably destroy whatever electronics inside the goggle.
i agree...its an over the top idea...you dont need it
 
#9 ·
Dcp584 said:
Personally I think that it is an over the top idea much like Burtons Audex jackets) and would probably cause accidents on the mountain due to something blocking your vision. But if you were to make such a thing, integrating an interactive trail map would be useful to alot of people; also having the ability to mark your locations kind of like a GPS and landmarking so if you found someplace that had a sweet kicker or you could build one or just wanted to find you way around the mountaina little easier that would be a neat thing to have. But the reality of it is that the goggles would be so huge and weigh so much that the inconvience of wearing them would probably turn people off from buying them, along with the price tag that would probably be attached to them. Plus Goggles are one of those things that when you bite it go flying and get filled with snow which in turn would probably destroy whatever electronics inside the goggle.
i totally agree with what dan is saying.
 
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#11 ·
I agree that some people will not need any of this information, but it could be more useful for some, particulalrly cross country skiers. I can see why it won't be much use for snowboarders as speed & time aren't the most important factors.

But then it is a wearable technology, and up in the mountains it is just one big fashion show with people wanting to show off all their latest gear, so maybe not so much of a neccessity but a bragging right and luxury.

It's just a question of what type of information will perhaps be of the most use.

The weight issue shouldn't be a problem, as all the electronics could be housed within the jacket and transmitted via bluetooth to the goggles. All the controls for the display could also be on the jacket sleeve too?
 
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#12 ·
arifman13 said:
The weight issue shouldn't be a problem, as all the electronics could be housed within the jacket and transmitted via bluetooth to the goggles. All the controls for the display could also be on the jacket sleeve too?
But then you get into having to manufacture a complete garment rather than the accessory.

Personally, I don't see the need for a HUD as a snowboarder. Some of the features would be nice to have but I spend enough time trying to avoid enough people who aren't paying attention to what they are doing. IMO, The last thing there needs to be is more distractions.
 
#13 ·
I think you can get a watch that pretty much does everything you need. I think something like current speed would be fun, but completely unnecessary. Other than that, I don't think anything besides temperature would really be possible. I can't imagine integrating an interactive map (although if it were possible, a weather conditions HUD would be cool for off piste riding) would be possible or affordable without making the goggles absurdly priced. I'd buy a pair if they had a red light that moved back and forth across the lenses like the Cylon from the old Battlestar Galactica show.
 
#14 · (Edited)
arifman13 said:
The weight issue shouldn't be a problem, as all the electronics could be housed within the jacket and transmitted via bluetooth to the goggles. All the controls for the display could also be on the jacket sleeve too?
No one wants to have to carry around a truckload of extra crap of extra crap. Even more so if you a re a downhill racer weight means time.

arifman13 said:
But then it is a wearable technology, and up in the mountains it is just one big fashion show with people wanting to show off all their latest gear, so maybe not so much of a neccessity but a bragging right and luxury.?
Says who? I like my cool looking shit as much as the next guy. Sweet looking goggles with a reflective lense and all that but that is not why I go to the mountain for; if that is you mentality then give it up and give your gear to someone who will enjoy and love riding for what is really worth not because it makes you look cool.:thumbsdown: :mad:


Flick Montana said:
I'd buy a pair if they had a red light that moved back and forth across the lenses like the Cylon from the old Battlestar Galactica show.
Night Rider baby Kit and Hasselhoff forever. I should get that tattoed across my back.:laugh:
 
#15 ·
personally i think this is a horrible idea.

BUT.....

in white out conditions, i would kill to have a sonar / radar system that could produce an image of the oncoming environment!

now i think about it....and altimeter might be nice.

or if you could get a laser designator type thing you could fire out onto a slope (that you might see from the chair lift or something) and record the co-oridinates of a hazard like a cliff or cravass, or even a super sweet lip or incline.... so when you dismount your lift, you can follow the co-ordinate to that / around that 'book marked' location. that would be neat!

for safety a slope inclinometer would be useful. and maybe a portable device that can measure the water / air content of a snowpack.....

innovate that batman!
 
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#16 ·
he asked what information could he put on his goggles

not if you think this product will do well or should he do it

Weather, Time, Temp, if your already using blue tooth than maybe integrate people's phones to it kind of like oakley did. Deff something like the guy that mentioned above with the trail map and marking where you have been or a good spot

these would be really cool and interesting to see how your product came out
 
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#17 ·
I personally think its pretty cool. I could see that you wouldn't need to design a whole garment cause you could just make the equipment kind of like an ipod or something and it just clips to your jacket with a wire going down the sleeve to your wrist so that you could change the controls. It would be cool to have an ear piece and maybe some kind of mic attached so that when your phone rings you could answer it without doing anything. maybe it tells you who the incoming call is from and then you say "answer or Ignore" (something like that). Also some kind of avalanche safety stuff might be a good selling point. The Tv thing would be usefully if you were stuck in an avalanche waiting for your rescuers you could watch some episodes of th office or something.:dunno:
 
#18 ·
It's different and interesting and I applaud you for trying to be innovative, however as mentioned it may not be feasible for snowboarders. A few things that I see could be an issue (just my opinions and not trying to bash you):

1) Weight and size. Even if you did make it bluetooth, you still have to integrate a battery, microchips loaded with firmware, wires, and a special lens/window for the HUD. I personally like my goggles only as big as they need to be to fit my face. Any bigger and heavier and I notice it after 6-8 hours on the mountain.

2) Accidents. As mentioned this could be a potential issue. If speed were one of your readings, people will tend to want to read the HUD. One split second is all it takes to catch an edge, make a mistake etc especially at top speeds (by top speed I mean that of the ability of the rider).

3) If you were trying to market it for the fashion conscious then I think it wouldn't work. Who would know you had an HUD google? They can't see it from the outside.

4) Cost: You'll immediately eliminate the younger genre (which makes up a significant portion of the snowboarding population). Those goggles would be quite expensive. Hell I have a hard time justifying goggles for myself that are over $110. I certainly would not buy goggles that are $300 (arbitrarily speaking).

NOW...I think you can possibly make it work for those on a ski medical team, mountain rescuers, etc. Information is their lifeblood and something like this could appeal to them. If I were one of them, I wouldn't care about "weight", "looks", "cost"...I would care that the goggles gave me the information I need that could help me save someone's life.

Again...it's good to see people innovate. Don't be discouraged and continue to think of good ideas. Keep in mind the niche you want to market these goggles too.

Best of luck!
 
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#19 ·
i agree with you EC9SS, that this would be extremely USEFUL for a mountain rescue team then for a leisurely ski/snowboarder.
If it consisted of vital information(mapping, place of accident etc) this would be great. and like you saind the wight, cost would not be an issue.

But i still feel that there is a portion of show-offs out there who would love to have HUD goggles, just for the sake of it and just because they have the money for them!

thanks very much for your input
 
#20 ·
Definitely real time telemetry data would be useful for pro racers such as how much time you are ahead, or behind the top racer. Maybe even use the HUD to display the optimal racing line on the slopes, but again, this just seems a little over kill, and how are you going to even mount the display onto a pair of goggles.
 
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#21 ·
how about little left and right arrows that point in the direction my buds are. We get a little spaced on the mountain and if we all had the same goggles, maybe with location transmitters in them, I could see there location kind of like a halo radar.
 
#24 ·
arifman13 said:
i agree with you EC9SS, that this would be extremely USEFUL for a mountain rescue team then for a leisurely ski/snowboarder.
If it consisted of vital information(mapping, place of accident etc) this would be great. and like you saind the wight, cost would not be an issue.

But i still feel that there is a portion of show-offs out there who would love to have HUD goggles, just for the sake of it and just because they have the money for them!

thanks very much for your input
But, from a business perspective, would you not want to target the LARGER audience, i.e. NOT the portion of show-offs that love to have HUD goggles?


I'd also want it to display the temperature of my toast ;)
;) ^tongue-in-cheek^
 
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#25 ·
completely unnecessary, my best friend has the audex jacket and it NEVER works the battery cables are always falling out and shit.. waste of money... im happy with my oakley crowbars thank ya very much... i keep the gps on me to record speed and distance traveled...
 
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