New AR Technology for Boater Safety Premiering Today at iCast
ORLANDO, Fla., July 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Wednesday at the iCast convention a new company announced the first augmented reality smartphone and smart glasses experience to increase boater safety. Called ClearWater AR, this patented technology extends what Apple and Google have created for the gaming industry to make augmented reality possible for water navigation. The advantage to anyone on a boat is a natural and intuitive way to safely navigate, find fishing spots, pin a waypoint, and even share a catch.
ClearWater projects 3D topo maps with augmented reality to make the water appear transparent to reveal structure and terrain directly in your field of view. There are also fishing flags, similar to golf hole flags, to mark structure and drop-offs. Floating 3D channel marker buoys appear on the water surface and are clearly visible at twilight or in fog. Just hold up your smartphone or look through smart glasses to see a new view of the world--designed specifically for boaters and anglers.
In 2020, there were 767 boating deaths in America. Operator inattention was the most prominent cause, according to Recreational Boating Statistics. "This innovation in user experience really matters. Today marine electronics are overly complicated and often take the captain's attention away from lookout up and out at the water," said a boat training captain, at Freedom Boat Club in Boston. "You can't drive safely by looking at a chart. AR has the potential to provide a simple synthesized interface to make boating safer, more inclusive and accessible to more people."
"The world of gaming just met the world of fishing and boating, giving people X-ray vision," said David Rose, the company's CEO and author of SuperSight, a book about the far-reaching impacts of augmented vision across many industries. Rose is a lecturer at MIT and brought a team of game-designers and software engineers together to solve the technical challenge of how to anchor 3D content onto an undulating mirrored water surface.
To create the most compelling experience for saltwater anglers starting with the Florida Keys, ClearWater partnered with seafloor mapping expert StrikeLines. "We offer the most detailed coastal terrain maps, fishing waypoints and wreck locations to the fishing community, and we are excited to provide ClearWater with high quality data for their platform," said Travis Griggs, the founder of StrikeLines and an expert in underwater mapping. "Viewing fishing maps in augmented reality is an exciting concept, and it's fun to be involved with companies on the cutting edge of new technology."
John Hunter, an award-winning bass pro angler and co-founder of the company helped design the ClearWater experience. John says the biggest advantage for fishing is that marine chart data is available without looking down at a screen. "It's totally hands free! In a few years there won't be any serious angler or safe boater who doesn't have ClearWater glasses."
ClearWater is being shown at iCast in booth #4283, and www.ClearWater.AR
SOURCE ClearWater AR
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