Zwift just turned 10, and other virtual cycling apps have existed for nearly as long. These apps provide training motivation, digital camaraderie, and opportunities to race online. But they all require the cyclist to have a vivid imagination. The graphics by video game standards aren’t the best, and users cannot recreate their favorite routes.
ROUVY Route Creator aims to improve the indoor cycling experience with an augmented reality (AR) video, so cyclists can see and interact with one another. Cyclists may also upload video from action cameras like GoPros to the ROUVY servers, which the company compiles into a virtual reality world.
Cyclists can then ride their routes from a first-person point of view and visually interact with other riders who have chosen the same route. Additionally, the cyclist can add objects like crowd barriers, banners, foliage, and fans to their virtual route.
How ROUVY Route Creator Works
ROUVY Route Creator takes GPS-enabled recordings from GoPro or other action camera files, uploaded by riders, and applies AI to the data.
This AI system creates a “covering model” using real shades and route profiles, and then constructs an accurate 3D world. And the virtual world has depth; if a fellow rider’s screen avatar rides behind an opaque feature, the cyclist disappears “behind” the object, just like in the real world.
ROUVY overlays original high-definition footage onto the routes, creating an accurate and immersive rideable environment. This 3D AI-generated world allows the addition of other riders and objects like start and finish gates or fans lining the roads.
Accurate climbing and descending gradients from rider-imported GPS and Google API data make the resistance felt at the pedals match what is on the screen. Users can eliminate stop lights and other interruptions present in the real world for an uninterrupted training session in the AR world that is compatible with indoor smart trainers.
Any objects added to the route produce the same reactions as in the real world. These include shadows moving appropriately with position and time, as well as the reactivity of other riders and people to cyclist actions.
The options for customizing routes will continue to grow. New items will be added to the banners, branded inflatables, and other elements commonly seen at races or along popular routes.
Other ROUVY Augmented Reality Courses
ROUVY Route Creator participants are not limited to their or other users’ routes. ROUVY currently has 1,500 high-definition AR routes from some of the most stunning cycling destinations around the globe. Some routes are recognizable by bicycle road racing fans, as they are key and well-known stages of famous races.
These routes will continue to grow as users upload and augment their favorite routes.
ROUVY Availability: Become a Beta Tester
ROUVY Route Creator is currently available in Beta to waitlist ROUVY subscribers on a gradual rollout in order to manage demand as capacity increases.
If you are interested in joining this waitlist, apply at the ROUVY Route Creator page.
GearJunkie will be a Beta tester, so look for a review of this augmented reality cycling app soon.
