We’ve seen inflatable airbags to help protect skiers during an avalanche but now Dainese has devised an airbag system to help protect downhill ski racers in case of a crash. The company’s new D-AIR Ski Project could even be in place by the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics. This safety system features three integrated accelerometers and gyroscopes plus a GPS unit and an onboard microprocessor to detect any sudden movements.
Together this system can detect a crash and deploy the airbag to protect the rider’s neck, shoulder and collarbone and the full process can take just 45 milliseconds. Given how fast skiers travel it is clear they’d need something even faster and the D-AIR system looks like it could help skiers stay safe on those very fast slopes.
It was a little over two years ago that Garmin hit the links with its Approach S1 Golf Watch, and now with the golf season just weeks away the company is back in the swing with the Garmin Approach S2 Golf Watch. This new GPS watch comes preloaded with maps to 30,000 international golf courses, with updates four times a year. This is non-touchscreen device – unlike the S3 – but the S2 offers a club selection and gives users yardage to the front, middle and back of the green, plus layup and dogleg distances to improve usability over the entire hole.
There are those who are born with the type of DNA of a backwoodsman and then there are the rest of us. For those who aren’t like a modern day Daniel Boone or Davey Crocket there is technology that will help us out. At the SHOT Show this week Magellan is introducing its new eXplorist 350 H, the latest GPS device designed specifically with the hunter in mind.
If you were to take a camera on a climb to the top of Mount Olympus the one to take might just be the Olympus TG-2. This 12MP rugged camera features a 3.0-inch OLED screen to preview your shots, while the built-in GPS tagging can help keep track of where you were on your various adventures. The camera can’t handle a fall from the top of a mountain, but it will survive drops up to seven feet. It is also freeze proof and crushproof. And when you’re back down from your climb the camera is one for the beach as it is waterproof up to 50 feet!
Sometimes we question the decisions companies make as it seems they are out of touch with their consumers, but last week Mio have announced the release of a software upgrade for its Cyclo 300 computer. This come based on a combination of custom-based feedback along with advances in technology.
StickNFind has introduced its new BluTracker, a Bluetooth 4.0 GPS locator that offers a range of 2500 feet. This portable tracking device runs on a rechargeable battery and it is compatible with iOS and Android apps. The device features an integrated and customized RF design and antenna, can broadcast its last known position, and can even alert users when something is moved. In this case it could be good for ensuring that a user’s items aren’t snatched – good to make sure that a bear doesn’t run off with your picnic basket for example. But it could also be used to keep a virtual tether on the young ones while out in the wild while camping. 
Strava apparently had a very good year. The activity tracking system released some details on usage for 2012. According to the company Strava athletes rode and ran 500 million miles, or 85 percent of the length of Earth’s annual trip around the sun. Strava cyclists ascended over six million meters, equal to the entire peloton in the Tour de France climbing Alpe d’Huez 30,000 times!
GPS tracking service Strava has got the power, or rather gives the power analysis to premium users, which will include wattage and watts per kilogram.
It looks like we’ll see fewer personal navigation devices (PND), but more devices with built-in navigation. A report from ABI Research finds that while PND sales will go down over the next few years, the market will continue to grow as navigation in phones, watches and eyewear take hold. 
Recon Instruments has had various data transmitted directly to the lens of its ski goggles for a while now, but beginning soon Oakley is looking to get in the game with its Airwave goggles. These will feature a heads-up display that was developed by Recon Instruments – so we know what to expect – and users can expect integrated GPS< Bluetooth and a variety of onboard sensors.
When skydiving a whole new view of the world is opened up, so why would someone want to look at a computer screen? That’s actually not such a bad question, especially as some data could be considered crucial such as altitude for one. Now Recon Instruments, which has introduced a number of GPS-based ski goggles that provide real-time information such as speed, have re-purposed its technology for those who like the thrill of skydiving, BASE jumping and wingsuit flying.