PEOPLE
I just took what I saw as an unsolved problem and decided to crack it once and for all
Chris Boyle, founder, Soloshot “I
think I’ve always had an ability to recognise problems,” says Chris Boyle, founder of Soloshot, a new “automatic cameraman” system.
Designed to allow athletes to record their performances without outside help, Soloshot is set to help make video analytics (as well as sport-related home videos) available and cost-effective to everyone. But how did Boyle, a biomedical engineer, come up with the concept? Being an action sport junkie helped. “I was pretty obsessed with the ocean
and travel – even as a kid growing up in Queens, New York,” he says. “So after playing a lot of field sports, I migrated to surfing and other action sports towards the end of school.” Fitting then, that the idea for Soloshot
came to him during a month-long surfing break. “Towards the end of my stay at a house I had rented, a north swell hit with offshore winds,” Boyle says. “I set a camera on the balcony, pointed it in the general direction of the break, hit record and went for a surf. “When I got back and watched the
footage I realised three things: not having an amateur operating the camera made for a better video; forgetting to worry about the camera made the surf more fun; but also that not having the camera zooming in and out made it hard to tell which one of the surfers I was.” That’s where Boyle’s problem-solving
skills kicked in. “A lot of groups put effort into developing automated camera stuff for the professional market but they were too expensive. I just wanted to be able to set up a camera on a beach and film some
10
Starting life as a photographic aid for surfers, Soloshot is being introduced for a number of sports
surfing without having to pay someone a bunch of money or impose on a friend,” he says and explains how Soloshot is based on a wearable tag that the camera “follow”. “Our system is inexpensive and easy to
use and the best thing is that the footage from Soloshot is better than everyone
but the most professional guys. Now my girlfriend can relax on the beach or better yet come for a surf with me.” Since its launch, Soloshot has been a
success. While he doesn’t want to reveal exact sales figures, Boyle says that the cameras are currently available in 17 countries. Boyle is looking to expand the number by marketing the camera to an ever-increasing range of sports – as well as non-sports. “I really feel as though we’re just scratching the surface,” he says. Details:
www.soloshot.com
sportsmanagement.co.uk issue 4 2014 © Cybertrek 2014
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