A Beating Heart In The Water: FORM + Polar® OH1/OH1 + Swim App
Courtesy of FORM, Vancouver, Canada.
Steven Munatones reported, “I was pleasantly surprised and happy with my new FORM Swim Goggles when I tested them this summer, but now aquapreneur and CEO Dan Eisenhardt and the FORM technology team has taken their goggles to an entirely different level.
During my competitive swimming days, I was asked numerous times by coaches to check my pulse after a hard interval set. I dutifully placed my fingers on my neck, feeling my pulsating carotid artery and trying to count the number of heart beats in six seconds. When I swam very fast, there was no way that I could accurately count that number. Was it 180 or 220? I had no real idea and just told my coaches a number that seemed about as accurate as I could count. I was always surprised how varied the range was of the pulse rate numbers that my teammates blurted out to our coach.”
But Eisenhardt has solved that problem for contemporary swimmers.
“In addition to being able to clearly and easily see my pace and distance metrics within the FORM goggles, the goggles can now be enhanced by Polar’s clip-on OH1 and OH1+ optical heart rate sensors. Now, I can see my heart rate as I swim. This is a total game-changer.
Then after I get out of the pool or open water, I can analyze all my data captured in the FORM Swim Goggles and Polar® OH1/OH1+ Heart Rate Sensor in the FORM Swim App (for both iPhone and Android) including my average heart rate for each set. The data is within easy viewing within the goggle lenses. FORM, after it is paired with the OH1 or OH1+, displays my heart rate as a real-time number that is even more fascinating to me than my pace, interval times, stroke rate, distance, split times, pace per 100, or calories.“
While the comfort levels, lens size, gasket form factor, elastic bands have slightly changed over time, the technology of goggles has not radically changed. No longer. FORM has successfully transformed the experience for both competitive and fitness swimmers.
Dan Eisenhardt, a veteran pool swimmer, wanted to do something radical to change that decade-long stagnation. “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.
“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.”
FORM launched the world’s first swim goggles with a see-through, augmented reality display that delivers performance metrics to swimmers in real time in August. FORM Swim goggles are an effective and creative replacement for pace clocks and wrist wearables.
Eisenhardt explains, “FORM’s AR goggles allow swimmers to view performance metrics in real time. Developed over 4 years in collaboration with top swimmers and coaches, including Olympians, the FORM Swim Goggles make training smarter, more purposeful, and more engaging for swimmers of all levels.”
The FORM Swim Goggles seamlessly combine three key components:
1. An augmented-reality display. Integrated into the goggles lens, this display provides a completely unobtrusive, see-through experience and always appears in focus.
2. A miniaturized onboard computer. With an ultra-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.
3. A premium swim goggles design. FORM uses high-grade materials and industry-leading manufacturing processes to provide optimal fit, durability, and hydrodynamics in a design that feels just like a regular pair of swim goggles.
Launching alongside the FORM Swim Goggles is the FORM Swim App for iPhone® and Android™. This app enables swimmers and coaches to review and share workouts recorded by the FORM Swim Goggles as well as to track progress over time. It also gives swimmers the freedom to customize exactly which metrics are displayed in the goggles 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.”
Eisenhardt is a can’t miss sports technology aquapreneur from Vancouver, Canada. His previous company, Recon Instruments, was the world leader in augmented-reality eyewear for sports and was acquired by Intel in 2015. FORM employs many of the people from that original team, leveraging decades of combined expertise in sports-eyewear design, activity-tracking algorithms, and augmented-reality optics.
He explains, “We have a simple mission: to break down the barriers between what swimming is and what it could be.”
Tom Fowler, President of Polar USA said about the partnership with FORM, “We couldn’t be more pleased with the results. Swimming with the FORM Swim Goggles and the Polar OH1/OH1+ combines the best of two worlds: the transformative training experience provided by FORM and the gold standard in heart rate technology delivered by Polar.”
The FORM Swim Goggles are priced at US$199 and ready to ship internationally on August 7th from FORM (www.formswim.com). The complimentary FORM Swim App is available as a free download from the App Store and Google Play™.
For more information, visit www.formswim.com.
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