At this time of year, we like to take a look behind the scenes, open up the rumor mill and let the cat out of Schrödinger's box. This time, we take a look inside the Pieps workshop, which has set itself the goal of taking avalanche safety to the next level and introducing the long-awaited quantum leap in technology. The HUAB/IMAWS system they are currently working on could revolutionize avalanche prevention and rescue.
Since becoming part of the Black Diamond Group, the clocks have been ticking a little differently at the long-established Austrian company Pieps. Above all, however, the company benefits from multinational thinking and know-how resources from a wide range of corporate divisions. It is therefore not surprising that the new cooperation between the group divisions is being used for a real technology offensive. Although Pieps has always had innovation spurts, the company became cautious after the bitter setback with the Vector LVS, which was supposed to set a new standard in avalanche rescue. However, the company has learned from its past mistakes and, with its parent company Black Diamond behind it, is now embarking on bold, offensive projects.
And these projects aim to do nothing less than revolutionize avalanche rescue. And prevention as part of the local filter of the 3x3 training system at the same time. To this end, the company has entered into a technical partnership with Recon Instruments, the market leader in heads-up displays - or HUDs for short - with the ambitious goal of fully integrating the avalanche transceiver into the goggle. Internally, the project is referred to as HUAB (Heads Up Avalanche Beacon), but it is not yet known whether it will be launched on the market under this name.
The aim is to be able to operate the avalanche beacon without ever having to use your hands. The actual computer unit is integrated into a black box in the backpack and feeds the HUD in the goggles via a cable, which in the finished product should project directly into the eye, similar to Google's Glass data goggles. Naturally in a right and left version, depending on which is the dominant eye. The pilot project still works with the small screen typical of Recon on the lower edge of the glasses, but in a slightly larger version.
On the one hand, operation is via a small keypad that can be strapped to the forearm or chest strap of the backpack, for example, or via a second, identical keypad on the side of the glasses for redundancy or safety reasons. On the other hand, simple functions are entered via blink commands. Switching to search mode, for example, is done simply by blinking the eyelids three times long, three times short, three times long - the international SOS signal.
There are also groundbreaking innovations in terms of technology. The aim is to combine the device with the Jetforce
Avalanche airbag backpacks can also be combined with the new avalanche airbag backpack so that you can access huge battery capacities for an avalanche transceiver and ultimately use extraordinary computing power. Thanks to the fixed integration into the backpack, the antennas can also be made huge in relation to traditional avalanche beacons and integrated into the backpack, so that unimagined ranges and precision should be possible. Two designs are currently being researched, one integrated into the frame of the backpack and one with the antennas in the chest and shoulder straps. Massive processor performance and better integration options for a GPS antenna, e.g. in the backpack lid, also make the principle of the old Vector, GPS-supported avalanche search, feasible and promise lightning-fast calculation and display of all data during the entire search process.
However, it is not only the partnership with Recon Instruments that is promising. The HUAB project has also been given the green light by purchasing specialists from Activision Activision , the software company that became famous with the first-person shooter Far Cry, among other things. The company has thus secured the best know-how in the field of HUD graphics and design. In addition, some of the video specialists from the failed Russian avalanche safety company Powderonov have been brought on board to work on a second stage of the project. The aim here is to use a POV camera mounted in front of the chest to feed safety-relevant data directly into the goggle. For example, slope inclination and exposure are to be constantly displayed, but the development program also includes a graphic overlay with danger spots and assistance with line selection. This system, called IMAWS (Integrated Mountain AwarenesS), represents an unprecedented new development in the field of integrative risk management and is intended to provide the skier with all the relevant information to manage risk optimally, quickly and efficiently.
If Black Diamond at Pieps successfully brings this project to market maturity, it should represent a quantum leap in the avalanche safety market. We are excited to see what the future will bring and support every measure that helps to reduce the number of avalanche victims. Of course, we will do everything we can to test the HUAB for you in advance. However, you have to ask yourself whether so much technology isn't too much at some point. And at what point is freeriding no longer really free...
Comment: Most readers will no doubt have noticed that this article is our April Fool's joke for this year, which has almost become a tradition. If anyone really believed that BlackDiamond and Pieps were working on such a device, we apologize for what we consider to be an innocent joke, but we hope we were able to brighten someone's day. If you enjoyed it, take a look at our previous April Fools' jokes, which you can find in the list of related articles.
And who knows how far from the truth we were really? Maybe the companies mentioned are actually working on something similar - even if we don't know about it. In any case, we believe they have the potential to continue enriching the market with groundbreaking developments.
