New Magazine in Ukraine

The world’s first true augmented reality (AR) ski goggles are in development, with a display that projects features on to the snow as if they’re floating 15 feet in front.The RideOn goggles, which currently only exist as a prototype, with a crowdfunding campaign to raise $75,000 underway, allow you to up the ante on the slopes with games and challenges. These include one that gets you to ride through a virtual slalom track that only you can see, and another where you chase the shadow of a top ski athlete down the mountain – you can "compete against yourself and friends for time and skill".Yes, it's all very high tech and amazing, like something out of a film set in the future. Or in space. Or in the future and in space. But the first thing that springs to mind when I see these goggles in action is just how insanely, ridiculously dangerous they have the potential to be.Skiing and snowboarding, while totally exhilarating, are already extreme, high-risk sports. It's a manageable risk, of course, but it's always there, as has been highlighted over the last couple of years; high profile accidents on the slopes such as Michael Schumacher's crash, which left the Formula 1 star in a coma for almost six months, remind us that this is a leisure activity that carries with it a considerable level of danger.Just as with driving, you need your wits about you. Navigating a busy piste can feel like zooming down the motorway, except there are no lanes, no one indicates and you aren't blessed with a rear-view mirror. It takes all your concentration and skill to ensure you don't skid out of control or hit someone, and you need to be switched on enough to instantly adapt if you hit a patch of ice or variable snow.