Edition 28 of SportsBiz Spotlight sees us focus on ARION, who believe their latest innovation can radically change the way we purchase running shoes. Elliott Rayner tells us more…
What does ARION do?
We use science to bring meaning to movement. We develop innovative wearables based on cutting-edge movement science and proven technology. Our key innovation is our ARION Smart Insole, a 2mm wearable that slides inside any sports shoe.
Its ultra-thin pressure sensors can pick up an incredible amount of movement data directly from inside any running shoe and when combined with our A.I, it can then generate an incredible amount of insights.
Insights such as running technique coaching, predicted bioload, injury prevention and even a performance shoe comparison that helps you understand which shoe best suits your individual needs.
When was it founded?
ARION was founded in 2015 but has been fuelled by more than a decade of research and thousands of hours of recorded movement data. Combined with research and expertise from world-renowned institutions and professionals, it is what helps us generate our vast knowledge and obsession with human movement.
What’s the main purpose of the organisation?
From all our recorded movement data, one thing has become very clear to us. Human movement is incredibly unique!
We want to revolutionise running with a very simple mission, providing runners with a better understanding of themselves. Their own unique movement. In doing so, we want to help them discover their perfect running technique, the perfect training regime, and the perfect shoe, for every run.
Who are your clients?
Our key focus right now is our retail solution, ARIONHUB. Major retailers are using our technology in-store so that customers can better understand which shoes are best suited to their movement profile.
In only fifty steps, inside or outside, a customer can see their individual performance in any running shoe and then compare it against any other shoe in-store and have all that data and advice sent instantly to their phone.
We have launched ARIONHUB with brands such as Decathlon, Vivo Barefoot, Runnersworld Netherlands, Sport Schuster and Ochsner Sport and we are expanding to new locations each week across Europe.
What’s your USP?
The vast majority of gait line analysis solutions are based on static measurement. You stand in a stationary scanning machine or a single footstrike is recorded on a static pad.
However, people don’t stay still in their shoes. They move. That’s what shoes are designed for.
Our insoles also allow us to analyse what is happening within the shoe while it is moving. On any person, in any shoe, in any location in under five minutes.
The result is the customer receiving their unique “Running Identity”.
What does a person’s “Running Identity” look like?
Your Running Identity is the digital summary of your ARIONHUB analysis. This is comprised of four different elements.
- Your Digital Footstrike – A real-time visual animation of your gait line.
- Your Bioload – A predicted outline for potential stress and injuries.
- Your Video Analysis – A video recording of your run, outside in nature or inside on a treadmill.
- Your Movement Metrics – Dozens of individual metrics that feed into our AI analysis.
Possessing this gives the individual a much better understanding of their own movement, better equipping them to make key decisions, including understanding which shoes are best for them.
If failure wasn’t a possibility, what would be your biggest ambition?
To completely eliminate running-related injuries.
With every step taken in our ARION Smart Insoles, we gain further insight and a deeper understanding of biomechanical science. We want to share this with everyone through our technologies and innovations so that we all have a better understanding of our own movement, and in doing so run further, faster and safer.
Another ambition would be to see our ARION Smart Insoles on more professional athletes all around the world. For example, to be able to see an analysis of the digital footstrike of the ten finalists of the 100 metres final at the Olympics or across other sports such as football and tennis during a major event.
How many people work at ARION and in what capacity? I.e. job roles etc.
We are currently a team of around 30 people, a combination of tech gurus and biomechanical masters. We are pushing hard to bring in more commercial and sales-focused talent who can help us expand into new markets and help us tell our story with new brands.
Who would be your dream client?
Our latest innovation is called ARIONSTUDIO. A platform that allows brands to utilise our data to gain insights on how to build even better products, perform stronger, increase durability and become more sustainable.. With this in mind we are aiming to work hand in hand with some of the world’s biggest sports and fashion brands and in doing so, help them use our movement data to continuously improve their performance products.
However, our technology is not limited to running or even sports. With that in mind, a dream client could even be a brand like SPACE X, who could potentially utilise our insoles to help their astronauts achieve quicker recovery after time spent in zero gravity.
How can people connect with ARION? What’s your website and socials?
You can find more information on all of our innovations and data at www.arion.run or on our social channels
Facebook – https://facebook.com/arion.run
Instagram – https://instagram.com/arion.run
LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/company/ato-gear/
We would also encourage people to discover their nearest ARIONHUB, where they can go and try on a bunch of different shoes and use our tech to see which one best suits their unique Running Identity.
Thank you to Elliott for sitting down with us to share the ARION story. If you would like to feature your sports based business or know of an organisation you would like to see feature on SportsBiz Spotlight, get in touch.
