Carv combines sensors – retrofitted into ski boots to measure foot pressure and motion – with a smartphone app, processing data and delivering technique and performance analysis. Skiers receive feedback on their performance either on-screen, or in real-time through earphones or heads-up displays. Sounds amazing……here at Ski In Luxury we wanted to dig a bit deeper and so welcome Eduardo Laquintana from Carv to give you the lowdown!
An Introduction to Carv
The initial concept behind Carv was a smartphone app called ‘Lines’, which used the motion sensors in the phones to measure skiing technique. We got more than 2000 skiers to use it and they all loved it. However, we knew that we were limited by the phone’s capabilities to measure motion, so we decided to build a dedicated sensorial system to better capture the intricacies of skiing.
MotionMetrics CEO Jamie Grant says:
“The idea for Carv began when I was looking at how the recording and analysis of data can help people to do things better during my PhD. It was an academic problem that got out of hand!
Coming from a Physics background, I was particularly interested in the telemetry side of things – looking at how you can measure movement. Then, whilst studying for a PhD in Financial Statistics, I worked on the data analysis side – what can you actually do with those measurements once you’ve recorded them? As a keen skier myself, I soon started applying this to my experience on the slopes.”
Subsequently, we managed to secure a place on HAX, a prestigious hardware accelerator based in Shenzhen, China. That was the perfect opportunity to bring Carv to life. We based the form factor on boot warmers as many skiers would already be familiar with it. This consisted of a smart insert containing the motion and pressure sensors, connected to a battery and processing unit clipped onto the back of the boot.
It’s Unique Selling Point (USP)
One of the features that differentiates Carv from the competition is pressure analysis. There is a limitation to how much you can understand about a skier if you only track their motion. The weight distribution of pressure across the insoles allows us to understand and analyse every little bit of the skier’s stance, which ultimately determines how well you ski.
Carv is easy to use and implement. Simply insert the insole into the ski boot, clip the batteries to the back of the boot, and link it wirelessly with your phone. Furthermore, it is this simple whether you are a beginner or an experienced skier!
Carv’s functionalities are adapted to every level of skiing. From analysing your performance in simple exercises or competing with your friends in fun ski challenges to full technique analysis and progress monitoring, Carv will help you improve all along your skiing career.
“With Carv we feel like we’re really able to make accessible the technology that’s currently only available to champion skiers – it is the first product of its kind to be available to beginners and pros alike. We’re working on introducing a machine learning element too that can ‘learn’ about each individual skier and anticipate the mistakes that they are likely to make before they have even made them. Our Kickstarter campaign is just the first step towards world domination as we target the market of over 120 million people who go skiing every year.” – Jamie Grant
During the development of Carv, we have leaned upon professionals’ advice to make sure we get it right. Ski Cross World Champion Filip Flisar told us: “Carv brings a new perspective to skiing. The pressure sensors allow you to see exactly what’s going on, and along with the mobile app it’s a great combination – it really works!”
More Information
Carv will be available for pre-order through our coming Kickstarter campaign, which seeks to raise $50,000. With this money we plan to finalise production of our first batch of units and continue to further improve the system.
If you are interested in finding out more about Carv, check out the following:-
Website – www.carvnow.com
Twitter Page – www.twitter.com/getCarv
Facebook Page – www.facebook.com/getCarv
