top of page
secURide
a combination of wearable techs and a mobile application, which works hand in hand for equestrians and coaches to elevate and secure their training experience. The system prioritizes communication and safety to decrease injuries and aid practices.
2023 personal project
consumer electronics and ux/ui
background
On the other side, there are plenty of cons as more people are interested and are participating in the sport. For example, beginners have a hard time finding a suitable ring, coach, horse, and/or information.
“The Horse and Other Equine Production industry has experienced marginal growth over the five years to 2022. The COVID-19 pandemic significantly reduced demand from some of the industry's largest markets. However, the overall trend in demand has been positive during the period.”
With more inexperienced riders and beginners who are looking for ways to start, the injury rate will also rise to around or even exceeding the average 0.6/1000 riding hours. In addition, a horse can weigh up to 500kg, moves at speeds of 65km/hr, and elevate rider 3m off the ground. With them acting unpredictably and independently, it is easy for any riders to get injured, even for the most advanced.
For this reason, it is crucial to protect equestrians from beginning to advanced level from injuries. And to do so, we will need to focus on finding suitable rings and coaches, physical protection gears, and communication between people and horses.
user interview
important to communicate with coach and horse
what’s the best way to fall
injury prevention needs to be the first thing equestrians learn
how to deal with the unpredictables
secondary research
falling...
stay bent
protect head
land on meat
keep falling
severe injury is higher than those for american football and automobile racing
horse can weigh up to 500kg, moves at speeds of 65km/hr, elevate rider 3m off the ground, act unpredictably and independently
cats
- has a high-tuned sense of balance
- righting reflex
- orient themselves and land on their feet
- focus on quickly flipping around
- use sight — eyes locate floor
- rotates upper body to face down
- lower body follows
- “flatten” out bodies to create more resistance to air - slower fall
- legs reduce impact and act as shock absorbers
all behaviors are learned and can be changed
takes time to process and change
long-lasting change is most likely when it’s self-motivated and rooted in positive thinking
specific & practical goals (relax & start small)
identify triggers
have support system and ask for help
relapse is common
all behaviors are learned and can be changed
takes time to process and change
long-lasting change is most likely when it’s self-motivated and rooted in positive thinking
specific & practical goals (relax & start small)
identify triggers
have support system and ask for help
relapse is common
falling in horse-back riding is inevitable
head injuries and bone fractures are common
needs to learn and train oneself on how to fall (let go of reins, bend, and “slap out”)
train the eyes (locate ground to minimize impact)
retrain behavior
takes time and practice to train a behavior
needs a trigger to start the process
focus on self and personal improvements
02. inclusive
01. easy to use
03. portable
05. non-reliant
04. long termed
From background research and interview, consequently, the aim of this project is to provide efficient communication between parties pre, during, and post-class. Most importantly, the goal is to prevent injuries and protect equestrians from potential harm caused by horseback riding.
This project will attempt to improve the horseback riding experience by addressing the goal from two ends. One is to provide a set of protection gear for riders’ safety. And the other, is a full-rounded communication and exploration application on hand, working with the equipment to protect riders from physical harm. Users will be able to connect the smart equipment to the app, see their performance on the app for coach and to analyze for future improvements.
Through conducting interviews, a large portion of interviewees emphasized how important protection gears are during their journey on horseback. Taking from that, this project will improve on the current riding equipments to work hand in hand with the mobile application. This project first looked into equestrians’ riding positions, what is wrong and what is right. Then researched on different equipment and gears horseback riders use. With goals and criteria in mind, the gears have been narrowed down to five products that are must-haves during riding and how they can be intergraded to serve the purpose: provides efficient communication and present injuries.
The five gears are helmet for communication and protection of head, riding boots for analyzing balance and pressure, riding gloves for recording motion and protection, compression shirt and pants for capturing motion, and protecting riding vest for measuring heart rate, breathing, air flow...
concept development
3d modeling
user interface
user scenario
bottom of page