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Forcite Alpine - Worlds first smart snow sports helmet!

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Forcite
Posts: 5 - Karma: 31
Hey everyone,

My name is Aaron, first time poster here. I am from a start-up in Sydney, Australia called Forcite Helmet Systems. Thought I would share with you all a project myself and a few others have been working on for the past year and a half.

As skiers and snowboarders ourselves, we want wearable tech on us while out, but get frustrated from having bulky, external components attached, and even worse losing parts when they fall off or when they are misplaced. We chose to do something about it and have invented the world’s first smart snow sports helmet! It has a 4K High Definition camera, helmet-to-helmet communication system, Bluetooth, WiFi, motion sensors for analytics, GPS, 6-8 hour battery, instant editing and social sharing and an impact sensor all safely contained within a helmet that has integrated buttons on the sides we have designed from the ground up. We call it Forcite Alpine, here it is below.



If you are interested in knowing more, please check out our Kickstarter page in the link below - it is available for pre-orders!

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1285447401/forcite-alpine-first-smart-helmet-for-snow-sports

We have been featured in TIME Magazine, Gizmag, Gizmodo and a whole bunch of others.

http://time.com/3682757/ski-gadgets/

Any questions, you can ask me here or email me at a.stathi@forcite.com.au, your support would be greatly appreciated to help us get this off the ground and reach our goal to make these for you all.

Here is a video of our helmet in action at Queenstown in New Zealand;

https://vimeo.com/140297415

Would be great to know what you all think!

Cheers,

Aaron

**This thread was edited on Oct 4th 2015 at 12:12:53am
Oct 4 2015 12:02AM
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Michael_Thatcher
Posts: 523 - Karma: 3,469
Technology seems mildly impressive but it looks like shit
Oct 4 2015 12:19AM
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_salty_
Posts: 672 - Karma: 1,034
I should wear A race suit before I wore that
Oct 4 2015 12:26AM
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Forcite
Posts: 5 - Karma: 31
Michael_ThatcherTechnology seems mildly impressive but it looks like shit


Hey Michael,

Thanks for your feedback. What do you think needs to change to make it look better?
Oct 4 2015 8:23AM
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cozzey
Posts: 1353 - Karma: 1,814
This is going to far... This isnt necessary for a helmet. We dont need to communicate helmet to helmet, we have phones to do so. Also editing? How are you going to edit with a helmet?
Oct 4 2015 9:50AM
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powderwhor
Posts: 380 - Karma: 725
Your product has an inherent issue that is especially relevant in the free skiing community. You've turned a piece of protection that needs to be designed to break upon a hard enough impact into a $650 gadget. I've broken a couple helmets over the years and the last thing I would want to do is drop another grip of cash to replace one as expensive as this. I haven't looked into your product yet but I don't imagine so much technology packed into a helmet would be very good at sustaining repeated impacts from crashes.
Oct 4 2015 6:28PM
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a_burger
Posts: 5206 - Karma: 20,187
ForciteAs skiers and snowboarders ourselves, we want wearable tech on us while out,




this is where your mistake is. A lot of hardcore skiers arent going to bother with this shit, your better off selling it to people who

A. can afford it
B. think hard ear helmets are cool
C. will think they need all that high tech stuff

Newschoolers does not have those people
Oct 4 2015 6:54PM
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Forcite
Posts: 5 - Karma: 31
chiefclulThis is going to far... This isnt necessary for a helmet. We dont need to communicate helmet to helmet, we have phones to do so. Also editing? How are you going to edit with a helmet?


Hey chiefclul,

Yeah there are phones that can be used, but we find it is a nice feature to have where you can chat hands-free. It's hard to appreciate without actually using it. It is pretty amazing and makes a difference!

We have invented an A.I system called 'highlights reel'. Calculating your speed/airtime and stop time it will record 15 seconds of you doing your thing on the hill, then it will automatically stitch it together for you. You can view it on your phone and if you like it you can send it straight to YouTube, Facebook or Twitter. Of course you can just record yourself/friends whenever you like and edit on your desktop/laptop. :) We are not fond of editing ourselves so that's why we invented highlights reel.
Oct 4 2015 7:17PM
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Forcite
Posts: 5 - Karma: 31
powderwhorYour product has an inherent issue that is especially relevant in the free skiing community. You've turned a piece of protection that needs to be designed to break upon a hard enough impact into a $650 gadget. I've broken a couple helmets over the years and the last thing I would want to do is drop another grip of cash to replace one as expensive as this. I haven't looked into your product yet but I don't imagine so much technology packed into a helmet would be very good at sustaining repeated impacts from crashes.


Hey powderwhor,

I understand your concern and it is a valid one. Your safety on the field is our number one concern above all. We have built this helmet and system from the ground up, re-enforcing every component and using only the highest quality and lightweight materials.

Our helmets are standards approved with ASTM F2040 and EN 1077 for snow sports.

You would have to give the helmet a -very- hard hit to damage the internal computing system (which is about the size of a credit card and positioned in the area of least impact for a head). Even if you did, the system is modular and can be taken out. We can give you a new helmet for a low cost and you can just click in the system again.

Check out the Kickstarter page below for more details on how we have made it.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1285447401/forcite-alpine-first-smart-helmet-for-snow-sports
Oct 4 2015 7:26PM
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powderwhor
Posts: 380 - Karma: 725
ForciteHey powderwhor,

I understand your concern and it is a valid one. Your safety on the field is our number one concern above all. We have built this helmet and system from the ground up, re-enforcing every component and using only the highest quality and lightweight materials.

Our helmets are standards approved with ASTM F2040 and EN 1077 for snow sports.

You would have to give the helmet a -very- hard hit to damage the internal computing system (which is about the size of a credit card and positioned in the area of least impact for a head). Even if you did, the system is modular and can be taken out. We can give you a new helmet for a low cost and you can just click in the system again.

Check out the Kickstarter page below for more details on how we have made it.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1285447401/forcite-alpine-first-smart-helmet-for-snow-sports


That's awesome, it seems well engineered and it looks as if you guys have done your homework so to speak. But as others have mentioned, style is a big element and people in this community in particular are pretty picky. In general, the simpler the look, the better. The air ducting and all of the line work makes it look somewhat silly. It looks like its trying really hard to be futuristic or something. I understand some of this maybe functional but as I'm sure you know, integrating style and aesthetics into the functionality is critical. Also, the soft ear style is generally preferred and many of us take out the ear pads and simply wear a hat underneath. Skiing is a rich man's sport and I'm sure this product will have a customer base from those who love toys. But many of us on this website don't really think gadgets like these enhance the skiing experience. Particularly if people don't think it looks good.
Oct 4 2015 11:49PM
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Forcite
Posts: 5 - Karma: 31
powderwhorThat's awesome, it seems well engineered and it looks as if you guys have done your homework so to speak. But as others have mentioned, style is a big element and people in this community in particular are pretty picky. In general, the simpler the look, the better. The air ducting and all of the line work makes it look somewhat silly. It looks like its trying really hard to be futuristic or something. I understand some of this maybe functional but as I'm sure you know, integrating style and aesthetics into the functionality is critical. Also, the soft ear style is generally preferred and many of us take out the ear pads and simply wear a hat underneath. Skiing is a rich man's sport and I'm sure this product will have a customer base from those who love toys. But many of us on this website don't really think gadgets like these enhance the skiing experience. Particularly if people don't think it looks good.


Thanks for taking the time to give me that feedback regarding the design and thoughts on price. I will be passing this on to the team. Appreciated.

Something I neglected to mention to regarding the product safety.

As an exclusive offer to our Kickstarter backers, we are offering one year of insurance to protect your helmet, and your wallet. We will repair any helmet damaged under Normal Use during the first 12 months, for free.

“Normal Use” defined as the intended use of the product as designed to be a snow sports helmet. This is limited to one repair per helmet purchase and exclusive of shipping.
Oct 5 2015 1:48AM
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ThaLorax
Posts: 21061 - Karma: 8,366
THe issue I'm seeing is that the design of the helmet looks cheap at first glance. That may not be true, but at first glance, it looks like a cheap gaper Boeri helmet.
Oct 5 2015 2:33PM
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