A huge swing powered by artificial intelligence (AI) and designed by four engineering pals is said to provide jumpers more than 100 different jump styles and “impeccable” security.
The swing, which is being marketed as the first of its sort in the world, was created by a firm that was incubated at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Mandi.
ManaliSwing, which was created by four childhood friends who are also trained rock climbers and mountaineers, has finished its human leap tests and is in the midst of applying for five patents for its concept and design.
On the upcoming New Year, the team intends to introduce the swing in Manali.
One of the team members claimed that the Dubai government had already contacted them about beginning the swing there and that they were also in contact with Swiss organisations that would be interested.
According to Utsav Soni, one of the creators, “We will provide one of the world’s most innovative and safe big swings similar to bungee jumping, but instead of falling on a rubber bungee cord, one freefall is followed by a giant swing on twin dynamic ropes.
Soni said that the swing offers 100 different jump styles with an AI-secured free fall of 70 metres.
“It will be unveiled in Manali on January 1. Each leap will cost the tourists Rs. 3,000. Transportation from a certain location as well as expert photography and filming services are included in the price “Added he.
At IIT Hyderabad, the startup conducted a large-scale testing with 1,000 dummy leaps, followed by human jumps, all of which were successful, the team member said. The trial was conducted in the presence of specialists from the Industrial Rope Access Trade Association.
Additionally, the AI will provide optimised permissions for leaping while tracking participant and Jump Master performance over millions of data points.
For a Jump Master and his staff, having a highly intelligent AI will provide them an advantage in making sure there are no accidents, incidents, or causalities at the site. For instance, he stated, if there is anything incorrect with the jump protocol or with global standards, AI won’t authorise the jump.
Soni asserted that their swing might completely upend the adventure tourism sector.
The good news is that we don’t need pricey equipment or specialised high-tech cameras to do this. With an existing standard hi-res CCTV security camera feed, he said that this could be franchised anywhere in the world.
Despite an increase of 178% in adventure activities worldwide in the previous three years, the team, which intends to launch a second swing in Goa and subsequently take the technology to other nations, lamented the declining interest in adventure sports among Indians.
India, the youngest nation in the world with 50% of its population under 25, is ranked 96th in the Adventure Tourism Competitive Index (ATDI) 2020. That has also been steadily declining over the past four years. According to Soni, India is substantially worse off than its neighbours, Bhutan (14th) and Nepal (67th).
“India has somehow failed to foster a culture of creativity in extreme adventure travel. In terms of adventure tourism, India is Incredible but not Innovative when compared to its Global Potential, he continued.
The project, which was first conceived of five years ago, was officially registered as a startup last year.
We pitched the idea to IIT Mandi, and three months later we had the first working prototype and an incorporated company, according to Soni.
