The tracking device was the brain-child of Julian Swan, co-founder and engineering director of The Imagination Factory who, when training for a triathlon, noticed that swimming was the only aspect of his performance he couldn’t easily monitor.
Previously the only option on the market was an unpractical waterproof watch.
Designers at The Imagination Factory, a London-based company which specialises in product design and creative engineering, created the ‘SwimAR’, a wearable heads-up display to track the progress of swimmers.
The Imagination Factory approached Ogle Models to produce a prototype using Sony SmartEyeglass technology. Dave Bennion, marketing and sales director at Ogle, said: “Whilst the design itself was not logistically challenging for the team at Ogle, the part was extremely intricate and demanded precision when selecting the right process, machine and material to use, applying the specified paint and finishing and assembling the individual parts.”
After successfully exhibiting at both The Wearable Tech Show and Ideal Home Show, Imagination Factory’s co-founder and technology director, Mark Hester, said: “Having worked with them [Ogle] before, we knew the quality would be excellent. We were also extremely impressed with how quickly they managed to turn the project around. The biggest compliment I can give is that it looks like the real thing.”
