Austrian skiing equipment maker Atomic launched a high tech ski boot at CES 2019. The Hawx Connected boot can capture data on biomechanics and skiing technique, and relay that back to a mobile device.
Atomic’s new boot incorporates Suunto’s Movesense platform, aimed at helping other companies develop smart applications for different sports, and force sensors within the lining. The data can be relayed via Bluetooth to the Atomic Connected App running on a smartphone, providing insights on balance, pressure application, and how well a skier uses the edges of their skis in turning. The app can also track terrain details like slope angle, speed, distance, and elevation.
Similar to tracking systems in many other sports, the Hawk Connected boot can log data that a user can interpret to understand their own ability. And that data can also be shared with friends through the app to spur competition, or globally to see how a user ranks in the world. American skiing sensation Mikaela Shiffrin—two Olympic gold medals, three World Championship titles, 52 World Cup wins, and still just 23 years old—is an Atomic sponsored athlete, so perhaps users may even try to compare themselves to her.
SportTechie Takeaway
While hiding sensors in clothing continues to be a challenge for sports technology—the clothing typically ends up bulky, uncomfortable, and difficult to wash—locating them within equipment has become a smart solution. That has been the approach taken by Zebra Technologies in the NFL, locating RFID sensors out of sight in every player’s shoulder pads, and by Under Armour with its connected shoes. Ski boots would seem to be a natural progression.
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