Our Patent Pending Technology is succinct in it’s point-and-click design and electronically mimics what the birds, and sea turtles use naturally to follow the magnetic waves of our beautiful Earth. The athlete can swim in a straight in open water with a minimal amount of “zig-zag”, remaining on course, thus improving performance and setting new personal records.
Navigation goggles for ANY swimmer who swims in open water for recreation, endurance or competition. USAT Approved for competition.
Why We Are Here
OnCourse goggles utilize the magnetic field of our beautiful Earth and are for ANY swimmer who swims in open water for recreation, endurance or competition and will guide you straight. USAT Approved them for use in sanctioned competition last year. Your support and feedback has helped us reach the point that we are at today and we are almost ready for production.
You don’t need to purchase our goggles or be a swimmer to help us realize our funding goal. Any contribution will be appreciated.
We need your help backing this project so that we can bring OnCourse Goggles to more athletes worldwide. We are creating an opportunity for the triathlete community to support our vision and get early, exclusive access to our product.
When we first began developing OnCourse Goggles, it was very important that we address the human geometry and not only provide an amazing navigation product, but also high quality goggles that were very comfortable for the athlete to wear. As a result, a decision was made to release two models (sizes) rather than one; a Mid-Orbit fit and and Inner-Orbit fit. With your help and contribution, we can bring two models of OnCourse goggles to more swimmers, in more countries, on more continents this year.
The proceeds from our campaign will be used for molding, tooling, component purchases and other costs associated with building inventory of both models of OnCourse goggles so that we will have adequate supply to meet Customer demand. If our crowdfunding campaign surpasses our goal, we will offer additional colors and try to introduce yet a third model of OnCourse Goggles.
Establishing The Need
In developing OnCourse Goggles, we listened to swimmers throughout the world as they related their needs. Many of these swimmers compete only with themselves, not in sanctioned competitions. Most open water swimmers struggle with swimming in a straight line towards a buoy or other target while practicing or during competition. In the absence of swimming lanes, swimmers tend to “zig-zag” through the water, wasting precious energy and slowing their performance. Many swimmers suffer from anxiety because there is no swimming lane and of course, there is no line visible at the bottom of the lake. We have a solution that we ask you to be a part of.
Our Solution: A Virtual Swim Lane
OnCourse Goggles contain an embedded high-precision electronic compass, accelerometer with tilt compensation, microprocessor (and we mean micro), rechargeable battery and our software. There’s more to our incredible technology and it is all part of our flexible electronic circuit board that is embedded in the goggle shell. It’s complicated on the inside, but incredibly simple on the outside. We achieved our goal of creating a product that is simple, beautiful and so easy to use that it does not require an instruction manual.
Our patent pending point-and-click design will allow the athlete to store a heading with a single button press. This simple yet elegant design will provide real time feedback during a swim directly to the goggles through a small LED array in each eyepiece. This feedback is immediate and will assist the open water swimmer achieve the most efficient swim possible and improve their personal record. OnCourse Goggles will analyze the direction you are swimming and as you veer off course, the LEDs will notify you what direction you need to swim as well as the severity of deviation. Our technology also compensates for lateral currents of water and wind.
Reached the first buoy? Simply face the next buoy and set your heading with a single button press to stay on course. It’s really that simple. (We are developing a feature that allows you to set the next heading with defined head movements).
The soft silicone gaskets in our goggles provide extended comfort over longer periods of time. OnCourse goggles feature polarized lenses, anti-fog coating, UV protection, good field of vision, a comfortable strap and soft protective case.
OnCourse goggles will be supplied with a USB cable which can be connected to a computer with USB Port, an iPhone wall adapter or the supplied automotive adapter to charge the goggles via the waterproof USB port. The lithium polymer battery in the goggles will recharge completely on your way to the swim in 45 minutes or less using the automotive adapter.
Simple Is Better
With OnCourse Goggles, no computer or clunky external GPS is required to lug around or set your course. There are no external parts or annoying cables to attach to your head-strap; all of the components are integrated into the goggle shell.
Early on, the decision was made to strip out every unnecessary component until the device just stopped functioning, then add that one component back in that would restore the necessary function. This decision opened the door to production of the simplest navigation device possible for swimmers; navigation goggles that would be so intuitive that no instruction manual would be required.
We have carried this same philosophy to our marketing, website and fundraising efforts on Kickstarter; simple, direct and on point.
How They Work
It starts with a button click.
The user presses the soft goggle skin near the temple to store a heading.
The goggles then provide feedback in the form of colored LEDs to keep the swimmer on a straight line of navigation. The electronics detect lateral forces from currents of water or wind.
See the video at this link demonstrating the assembly and our working product.
For complete details go here.
To Like them Facebook, go here.
Swim Gear News is courtesy of On Course Technology, a SwimSwam partner.
very interesting concept. in races with lots of competitors (such as big triathlons) will these goggles help follow the feet in front of them, which is what 95% of swimmers are doing.
i can see these being helpful for those who adventure on their own, swim in small groups, or those who get stuck between “packs” in competitive swims.
i’m certain they wouldn’t be accepted by english channel swim rules
Just imagine the traffic jam at each buoy when all those triathletes stop to re-aim their goggles. Jeez.
I wouldn’t give a crap except all the OW events I love to swim (5K especially) tend to have a bunch of triathletes in them.
One of the inventors is a triathlete and the way it’s explained, a swimmer wouldn’t stop at the buoy. They can change direction and set the next heading at any time. They also explain that you’ll be able to use a defined head movement to set the next bearing on the production goggles.
Any time lost to set another bearing will be FAR offset by the performance gain realized by swimming in a straight line.
My swimmer brain:
If these work reasonably well, I’d consider using them for OW training or a casual “let’s swim to that pier and back.” Arguably makes solo or small group swims safer with some nav capability.
But if these are allowed in competition, OWS or triathlon, I think that is total BS.
As many have mentioned, sighting, picking the right line, learning the course and conditions on the fly and modifying your race strategy accordingly–these are fundamental aspects of the sport. Many of us have won and lost races/time based on this (I’m looking at you, Waikiki seawall), and it is one of the things that makes OW exciting.
How about a device that tells the batter… Read more »
There is another product, the IOLite GPS guidance device. They had a kickstarter that failed last year but they are selling it on their website now. They sell it as an LED bar you attach to your goggles and it lights up indicating if you are going straight or off course. No idea if it works though.
The ability to pay for better gear has always had the potential to make the same athlete a few ticks faster.
Do the people frowning on these goggles also frown on the amazingly aero bikes, helmets, speed suits etc? There’s waaaaaay more technology and dollars put into that stuff than these goggles.
I would take these as more of an equalizer if you will, than an advantage. It’s not gonna make 1 athlete “faster” than his or her equal, like bike equipment can.
I like a pair. I live in Kona Hawaii. Ill write to u and tell u if they work on theironman course.
Why should the ability to pay for new technology give one an advantage for athletic success? For serious competitors, practice leads to sucess, not simply having the money to buy technology to be better.. The goggles should be used as a training device like swim paddles and pull buoys, but should not be approved for athletes trying to win awards in sanctioned races.
Many triathletes would benefit from spending their money on swimming lessons instead. Swimming off-course is frequently a symptom of poor technique.
Paying for new technology is how sports progress. This is no different from buying a $5,000 tri bike and an aero helmet and it’s no different from buying a wetsuit to swim in. People will buy anything to improve their times including this. It’s just how things work
For Triathlon yes, it’s standard. For open water swimming, there are serious restrictions (e.g. “Fina Approved” suits).
My guess… Won’t be FINA or USMS approved (and in my opinion shouldn’t).
Navigation ability comes with the territory.
Good chance it’ll be USAT approved 🙂
James – I believe it actually is USAT approved already.
As a USAT official, I’m curious about the statement, “USAT Approved” since they don’t appear on the Officials’ list of questionable items that have been rule legal. They do not appear in my interpretation to violate any of the equipment requirements rules, so I would consider them legal if asked to rule on them.
But I could make the same case in regard to the USA Swimming rule book – the equipment rule, 102.8.1E, excludes items that help “speed, pace, buoyancy, or endurance” and I don’t think these goggles would meet that test. (The Open Water rules are worded a little different but I think the meaning is about the same.)
So while one can imagine FINA and the… Read more »
@Mike A.
Those are good points that Fina, USMS, and USA Swimming may very well need to update their language to account for the new technology.
Also (and this is not directed at you, but a general comment) other readers here know better than I do that in open water swimming sighting and navigation is a key (learnable) skill.
In the La Jolla Gatorman (3mi) sighting is known to be daunting and likewise with the Waikiki Rough Water (and I’m sure many other races) but these are good challenges, and with a little practice something any swimmer or triathlete can tackle – without electronic goggles!
If sighting is that difficult for someone, I’d be concerned that they need… Read more »
Having done the gatorman 3 times, I agree that it can certainly be done without electronic goggles. But it’s not so simple as saying that everyone in the race had to sight constantly. My favorite tactic is to get in behind a group of pretty good swimmers and sight off their feet (I’m at an age where I can’t even hope to lead the race) so I only have to sight every 50-100 m to make sure I agree with the group leaders. That’s a pretty standard tactic actually.
I doubt the gatorman officials would disqualify anyone with these goggles. I was surprised to see the part of the race rules where they said that swimmers could have paddlers with… Read more »
From the OnCourse Goggles Kickstarter campaign:
“June 10, 2014… I find that your product, the On Course Goggles, are fully compliant with USAT Competitive Rules and are legal to use in any of our sanctioned events.
Charlie Crawford
Commissioner of Officials
usatriathlon.org…”