Scott's new goggle
Recon Instruments announced a trifecta of big news yesterday. The company, which makes OEM goggle technologies that include heads up displays and biometric monitoring called Micro Optics Display, has partnered with both Scott and Smith to include its system in their goggles, and raised $10 million in financing from venture capital firm Vanedge Capital.
Here’s more from the releases:
Recon Instruments, award winning innovator of Micro Optics Display (MOD) technology for action sport athletes, is excited to announce official partnerships with Smith Optics and SCOTT Sports to debut new goggles and color-ways compatible with MOD and MOD Live displays for skiing, snowboarding, and snowmobiling. The displays utilize GPS, accelerometer, gyroscope, altimeter and temperature sensors to provide skiers and riders with precise speed, jump, vertical, altitude, location, distance, and temperature measurements and readings in real-time. MOD Live boasts additional smartphone connectivity and advanced onboard apps.
“We are thrilled to expand our family of world-class partnerships with the addition of these two pre-eminent global goggle brands,” said Dan Eisenhardt, CEO Recon Instruments. “MOD and MOD Live will deliver a variety of real-time data to Smith and SCOTT’s loyal skiers and riders, allowing millions of more people to enhance their experiences and relive trips on Recon HQ, our online community.”
The latest goggles will be unveiled this month at Outdoor Retailer (OR), Snow Industries America (SIA), and ISPO winter sports trade shows. Partnership discussions have been going on for years between these pioneering brands, culminating as the consumer pull and market need for Recon’s MOD offerings has become overpowering.
The new goggle from Smith.
“Over the last six years we have often dreamed of incorporating Heads Up Display technology into Smith goggles, and it is extremely exciting to finally be incorporating a product that does all it claims to do,” said Eric Carlson, VP of Product & Design. Smith Optics. “Our partnership with Recon Instruments has already helped Smith push past current boundaries as well as set us up for future innovation. Anyone can buy parts from a supplier, but true partnerships like ours with Recon will bring new products to market that neither group could have imagined alone.”
Recon Instruments, also secured a$10 million Series A investment from a group led by the venture capital firm Vanedge Capital, with participation from Kopin Corporation, for the purpose of further commercializing its proprietary technology. Building on Recon’s recent success of the Android-powered MOD Live near eye product that provides skiers and riders with a variety of data including speed, navigation, jump analytics, buddy tracking, text messages, and even viewfinder functionality, Recon plans to develop software for smartphones and other peripherals which provides users not only performance based information, but communications as well.
“This investment allows us to both further commercialize our existing products by providing working capital and continue the development of our near eye technologies.” said Dan Eisenhardt, Chief Executive Officer, Recon Instruments “Our product roadmap includes several exciting product launches in the coming months and years”.
“Recon Instruments has done an excellent job finding a unique way to enhance and extend the alpine experience with interactive digital media,” said V. Paul Lee, Managing Partner of Vancouver based Vanedge Capital. “The MOD Live is really only the tip of the iceberg for how this innovative technology can be applied and why Recon Instruments fits so well with our portfolio of interactive entertainment investments.”
