The SlopeScope prototype consists of 3 main elements: a pan / tilt camera, an iPhone app and a website. Each in turn has been designed to demonstrate particular features or interactions of the service and has not been completed to the degree required for testing in the field.

The goal of this prototype is to highlight the key aspirations of the idea and to allow users to 'get a feel' (quite literately) of how the service would work.

With a little bit of time, dedication and, of course, money this project has the potential to become more than a demonstration but a commercial reality. It would also be the case that the technology behind the system would change drastically as such it should be noted that these technical descriptions are for the sake of crafting the experience for the user and not an implication of how a final setup would work.

The tracking system is based on a Wii Remote (WiiMote), Processing and Arduino. The WiiMote was used for its incredibly sensitive and high quality sensors, namely the IR camera. The IR camera can track up to four individual IR sources which it relays to the host computer via bluetooth (I used DarwiiRemoteOSC for Mac OS X).

A processing based app running on the host interprets the co-ordinates of the sources (averaging them to a singular point if needed) and analyses its position relative to the centre of the camera. Communicating via serial to an Arduino board instructions are sent to manipulate two continuously rotating servos which adjust at varying speeds to centre the point in an almost real time manner.

For those interested I have made my application available to see / use. Click here to download (and abuse) it, seriously, go nuts - be sure to email me of any work you do using it, I'd love to see it! If you would like to use the source files feel free to clone the SlopeScope GitHub repository and fork away. Please post any issues on the Issues Page or tweet me @HelloPablo. I can't guarantee I'll reply but I'll do my best!

I must credit johnnyonthespot for all his help and guidance in developing my code.

There is an embedded webcam in the camera body to which I have added an extended USB cable for connecting to the host computer. It is possible to stream a live feed from the camera to see what it see's.

SlopeScope for iPhone has been developed using the PhoneGap framework. PhoneGap provides a wrapper which allows websites to interact with the device hardware using a combination of JavaScript and Objective-C. This means that a web developer (with no knowledge of Objective-C, such as myself) can create a website custom made for iPhone and package it into a native app. Using HTML5 standards this app can have huge functionality with offline storage and databases.

This app does not, however, make use of functionality such as HTML5 databases as it's purpose is to serve purely as an experience example. It demonstrates to the user how a person would review footage on the slope - it just takes a little bit of imagination to actually put yourself in that situation.

Under the hood SlopeScope for iPhone uses the jQtouch library. Using simple HTML markup this library allows web developers to create views and transitions in a web based app, similar to those of a native app.

Throughout development I wanted to find a good balance between well branded / user orientated design and a generic iPhone app feel. I didn't want to isolate users by designing an app which was non-intuitive. By using regular iPhone features (such as rows, tab bar and lists) I have crafted an app which both looks good, is on brand and is a breeze to use.

The website is the third part of the SlopeScope concept and acts to fulfil the needs of those without an iPhone or those who want to watch their footage at a higher resolution.

At the beginning I considered adding an element of social networking to the service; perhaps the ability to create a profile and compare your footage / times with other users of the service. However I dropped that for fear of adding unnecessary complexity to a simple idea. Facebook, for example, has a great sharing service and is a site which many users (especially the target user group) already use.

The site is, like the iPhone app, purely a 'works-like' prototype and has no functioning features - it is intended to highlight the user experience and branding of the web based element of the SlopeScope service.

In a 'real-life' situation those without an iPhone or iPod Touch would be able to visit the SlopeScope site and be presented with a simplified interface to view their video. If this concept were to go into production then Android and Blackberry apps would likely be high priority.

A resource of the common questions which have cropped up while discussing this project:

• » Why snowboarding, surely a system like this has plenty of applications elsewhere?

  Of course! A system as versatile as this could exist in many environments. However, for the purpose of this project I have kept the user constraint to allow me to spend time crafting a service / experience for a specific user group which meets their needs perfectly as opposed to creating a more generic, 'commercial' project which could lack many of the idiosyncrasies and subtle design decisions that SlopeScope has currently.

• » What happens if a number of users attempt to use the system at once?

  SlopeScope is far from a complete product. Multiple users could, theoretically, be using the same slope but at different points on the run (i.e: different cameras). If two users were to occupy the same camera at the same time the system would see multiple users and take an average of their positions, aiming the centre of the camera at this average point.

  In practice a system such as this would have to be far more 'intelligent' with it's ability to film users selectively. In order to do this more time (and money) would have to be spent researching this area to find the best solution; something which is not practical at this stage of development.

• » How do the cameras know who they are tracking if all they can see is a light source?

  In short, they don't. This project was never intended to be a complete start-to-finish product development. Initially I had planned on doing a similar project but making it something an amateur could buy / build cheaply themselves. The idea was that the pan / tilt cameras could be placed manually on the slope with their own cameras mounted. The user could then take everything home and capture the footage as they would normally.

  However, as the project progressed it became increasingly apparent that a resort supplied, permanent camera fixture gave room for many features which otherwise would have been nothing more than pipe dreams such as: reliability, quality of service and ultimately automation - the pre-rendered highlight video would not have been a viable option in the first instance, nor would the iPhone app.

  I have speculated as to how the system could negotiate multiple users each with its own caveats: IR sources pulsing at different rates, similar to morse code; RFID tagging, sensors placed beneath the snow could read RFID tags attached to the board; colour recognition, the rider could pre-program the system with their clothing's dominant colour.

• » Infrared? The sun (a massive infrared source) must interfere, especially with all that reflective snow all over the place.

  This is indeed a critical flaw in the design of a system which works like this. I had thought about changing the angle slightly and making this a system exclusively for indoor resorts but I felt that this was too big a compromise.

  With sufficient perseverance, research and funding a new angle could easily be developed, but this is outwith the scope of this project.

• » I don't have an iPhone! Would I still be able to use the system?

  Yes! if you visit the demo site using a mobile browser the site will adjust itself to work more efficiently on a smaller screen. Obviously, some of the features of a native app would be forfeited (such as Push Notification) however much of the experience of the app can be replicated.

  Should this project go further than this concept stage native Android and Blackberry apps would likely be priorities.

• » I don't see any adverts or advertising space, how would SlopeScope make any money?

  In a real-world context, SlopeScope would function as a business model in a similar way to that of the photographs taken on roller coasters at theme parks. The system is free to sign up for, use and enjoy however, if you want to download the video to your computer in HD form then a one time fee would be incurred (like buying the photograph at the rides).

  It must also be remembered that this service is to compliment the existing services of a resort; by attracting users with this unique service the resort can push other avenues for profit: board hire, lift passes, café's, etc.

  On its own, SlopeScope is more an interesting novelty, but combined with the rest of the snowboarding / snow sports experience it could prove to be invaluable when deciding over one resort or another.

• » I'm a developer and I'd like to see your code, maybe I can help improve it?

  You can download a compiled app for Mac OS X by clicking here. To get the source please clone the SlopeScope GitHub repository. I actively encourage development so please fork, fork, fork away!