125 innovations

Smart eyeware for swimmers

When swimmers want to improve their speed in the pool, checking a wristwatch can take up precious time.A Welsh design graduate has come up with a solution: by creating a device that displays race time and laps completed inside a pair of goggles. Katie Williams created a prototype of the goggles as part of her design degree at Brunel University in West London.Williams' system incorporates an electronic device, which houses a compass, at the back of the headstrap on the goggles.There is also a small button on the side of the goggles, which activates and deactivates the device when pressed.When a swimmer enters the pool, they press the button once, which signals to the compass the direction the swimmer will be traveling. When the swimmer turns, the compass detects that the co-ordinates have changed and registers the time.The information, including the total time spent swimming, the number of laps completed and the speed traveled are shown in a tiny heads-up display inside the goggle lens, using a system that reflects information off tiny mirrors.

Source: news.bbc.co.ukAdded: 6 June 2006