A software / hardware company In Hawaii with team members coming from Atari, Nintendo and Sega experience, has developed and is manufacturing the world’s first Genuine Hawaiian Surf Simulators and Stand Up Paddle surf trainers. The ability to train for both surfing and stand up paddling without getting wet is now a true reality thanks to the Hawaii based company that received a patent more than 10 years ago. The Hawaii group and their fleet of simulators have provided the entertainment, advertising / promotion industry with a unique way to draw large crowds. Clients such as ABC Television, Microsoft, Cisco Systems, Sony Entertainment, Sheraton and Mariott Hotels, the U.S. Army and U.S. Navy have either purchased or rented the exciting interactive displays from the company.
Unleashed early this year, the surf simulator company launched their interactive “dryland” surf system with a California Ecology School program. The goal was to offer educational ecology proprietary programs developed by the surf sim company linked to play with the surf simulators. These new browser, web based interactive surf games relate to pollution and energy saving lessons. During the class, students learn to create their own PC ecology flash games to play on their own personal PCs at home that were played with the surf simulators during class.
The Hawaii Surf Sim group is ready to take the next tech leap with their biggest new wave” of unique technology – the ability for the audience to actually play “live” along with the person who is on the surf simulator. Secretly, they can use their cell phone to join in the game and annoy the “surfer” . It is parallel to the “dunk tank” carnival game but different in that more than one person can try to knock the person off the game – all with their cell phone without anyone knowing who is who – pretty cool.
The obvious combination of education and cell phone participation introduces an huge swell of advertising potential applications – gathering emails, cell phone information for post – marketing and promotions.
All of their proprietary surfing games feature unique framework which allows for extreme customization and exciting visuals for the audience and benefits for advertisers, etc. 1) client logos, custom photos or illustrations. 2)facial photos can be submitted and animations created from those. 3)various objects and video statements that can be customized and changed “live” via internet. 4) video clips added for additional branding.
The full-scaled surf simulators rest only a couple of inches above ground and develop core physical balance – the use of muscles that strengthen balance and overall fitness. You can’t drown or get eating by a real shark, but you sure can work up a sweat while carving 30 foot virtual video waves.
Participants stand on various sized surfboards fitted with electronic gyros and electronics that sense movement and balance performance by the rider. By leaning left and right, forward, backward or remaining in a neutral balanced position (which is not as easy as it appears) players carve deep blue waves and get “locked into the pipeline tube” action on a video monitor or screen. The challenge is to score points by staying on the face of wave, getting out and into the “tube”, or doing wild aerials. All of this takes place in a matter of minutes and riders as old as 5 and as young as 75 love ” virtual surfing” anywhere, anyplace and anytime.
The system is totally portable, fits in a compact car and easy to transport and setup within 15 minutes or less. The “Virtual Electronic Hawaiian Surfboard hooks up to any laptop and to any sized monitor, projection screen, etc. Each customized game provided on a USB thumb drive is secure-proof as it can only be activated remotely and audited by the company in Hawaii via password and codes. This allows for quick updates and score keeping. All the surf simulators are non-mechanical and is user based – the system depends on electronic feed back and movements made by the “rider” to challenge the game.