Snowcookie is a smart skiing system, which independently captures the motion of the body and the skis with three Oreo-sized devices, one worn on the user's chest and the other two attached to the skis. The device comprises of sensors that stream motion data to an AI-powered iPhone app to enable users to improve their technique and progression. It precisely measures dozens of skiing parameters, analyses carving, style and body position to deliver actionable insights. The device also allows users to challenge themselves and compare their runs. Thanks to the detailed 3D maps, they can zoom into every single turn, resulting in faster progress.
“Snowcookie is for passionate skiers who want to improve their technique faster and measure what was previously impossible to observe,” said Martin Kawalski, Co-Founder, and CEO of Snowcookie.
Last year, the Zurich based startup developed and tested its snowcookies in the Swiss Alps in collaboration with Intel and Red Bull Media House. Professional ski-racers from Switzerland, Japan (Miku Kuriyama) and the United States (Todd Kelly) tested the product, giving feedback that was used for improvement. Kariyama from the Japanese ski-team was fascinated by the accuracy of the devices. He commented: “I'm sure all of technical skiers and BC skiers in Japan will love it”.
The startup has now officially launched the product on the market for recreational skiers. Given that it is now winter season in Australia and New Zealand, ski-enthusiast in the country will have the opportunity to be the first to use snowcookie. The startup also ships worldwide through its website and Amazon.
“I am thrilled and energized by reaching that milestone. Over three years ago, we had that vision that we will show people what is ordinarily invisible in their skiing. Having gone through numerous hardware iterations and engineering challenges we are finally ready. I cannot wait to see people upgrade their skis to "smart skis" thanks to our cookies”, added Kawalski.
Although the startup has just launched its product, it has had two important business customers in the past skiing season: Audi used snowcookie during Audi Quattro Ski Cups in Switzerland while Red Bull Media House used the devices to add a wealth of information to their action videos.
Snowcookie is funded by investors from the United States and Switzerland. The company’s entire production and hardware engineering happened in Switzerland because of the mountain scenery for ski activities, which were useful in testing the algorithms while Poland was used for iOS development. Snowcookie is also an alumnus of the Swiss Startup Factory class 2016.
(RAN)