Tuesday, March 26, 2024

Ghost Pacer, an ultimate holographic training partner for runners

Anyone who loves running knows that keeping up and improving performance is easier when there is a running partner who is slightly faster than you and pushes you to stay on track. Unfortunately, in today’s world – and with longer-term social distancing requirements due to COVID-19 – finding the right partner and coordinating runs with other people can be nearly impossible.

To this end, a new gadget, called the Ghost Pacer, recently appeared that allows you to race against a virtual avatar that only we can see. The Ghost Pacer is an augmented reality (AR) glasses, which is developed by a group of recent graduates from Lakeside High School, the same school Bill Gates attended in Seattle.

Ghost Pacer Glasses
Ghost Pacer Glasses

At the heart of the Ghost Pacer is available a fairly powerful minicomputer for its context, an ultra-bright LED, and a high-resolution augmented reality display. The Ghost Pacer has an 800 mAh battery that lasts up to 6 hours of continuous use and takes 1 hour to charge via USB-C. The display has a resolution of 1,280 x 720 and a field of view of 30 degrees. In addition, these glasses are resistant to water and dust.

Its weight of only 90 grams and a maximum thickness of 10 millimeters guarantee the absence of bulky headphones throughout the experience. Besides, its patented optical system and the ability to produce a realistic avatar in 3D space make the glasses an ideal tool for any runner.

The Ghost Pacer companion app allows you to find routes and race them on the Ghost Pacer glasses.
The Ghost Pacer companion app allows you to find routes and race them on the Ghost Pacer glasses.

The integration with the Strava fitness app allows users to race against virtual training partners that replicate their friends’ paths and speeds from previous workouts, allowing athletes to “run together,” even apart.

The app, which is available for iOS and Android, also allows users to analyze the history of exercises performed, and based on this data, create personalized workouts for them. There is also a Pro version of Ghost Pacer, which can connect to your Apple Watch or Garmin device to provide additional bonus features like customized workouts and heart rate integration, according to the developers.

For a limited time, Ghost Pacer glasses are available with a 43% discount for those who purchase them through their crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter. Super early bird promises to start at $199 for the regular model and $219 for the Pro version, and the shipments are expected to begin in July 2021.