10 Years of FORM: From Smart Goggles to Swim System
On September 26, FORM turned ten. 🔟
What started as an idea to give swimmers real-time feedback in the water has grown into a pioneering connected swim system used by swimmers and triathletes of all abilities in 169 countries and counting.
Over the past decade, FORM has evolved alongside the swimmers it serves, from creating the world's first Smart Swim Goggles, to bringing real-time heart rate and open-water navigation into the water, to developing award-winning digital coaching and a connected training ecosystem.
Here's how we got here.
2016–2018 | The Idea
September 26, 2016 | FORM is officially incorporated
FORM Athletica Inc. is incorporated, officially establishing the company in Vancouver, Canada.
But the idea behind FORM began years earlier. In 2008, founder and CEO Dan Eisenhardt was studying at the University of British Columbia when he first imagined what it could look like to bring technology and real-time feedback into the swimming experience.
The problem was simple: swimmers and swim coaches had access to more data than ever (stopwatches, timing mats, video for stroke analysis, etc.), but almost all of it came after the swim.
What if the information could be there while you were swimming?
2016–2018 | Building something entirely new
Over the next two years, the team worked in stealth to turn that idea into reality.
Creating a product that could display information inside a swimmer's field of view required solving problems across augmented-reality optics, onboard computing, swim-tracking algorithms, sensors, and goggle design.
The goal wasn't to build another device that recorded a swim.
It was to build technology that could become part of any swim, lead your swim, guide you, coach you, in a form factor swimmers already wore, putting relevant information in front of them when they needed it most.
2019–2020 | Creating a New Category
July 9, 2019 | FORM emerges from stealth
After three years of development, FORM officially unveiled the company and its first product: FORM Smart Swim Goggles.
The launch introduced a new category of augmented-reality swim technology, designed to put real-time swim data directly into a swimmer's field of view.
For the first time, swimmers could see metrics such as pace, distance, stroke rate, and splits while they swam.
August 7, 2019 | The world's first Smart Swim Goggles go on sale
FORM's first product became commercially available, shipping worldwide and turning years of development into a new kind of swimming experience.
FORM's core idea became reality: swimmers no longer had to wait until the end of a workout to understand what happened.
Early reviews from leading publications and prominent voices in sports and technology helped establish FORM as a new kind of leading sports technology company.
Customers began receiving their goggles and swimming with their data for the first time, using real-time performance information to make adjustments in the moment rather than after the fact.
October 2019 | FORM enters triathlon
Just months after emerging from stealth, FORM founder and CEO Dan Eisenhardt raced the IRONMAN World Championship in Kona on behalf of the Challenged Athletes Foundation, wearing his FORM Smart Swim Goggles and a first-of-its-kind heart-rate integration with Polar.
The Kona trip also marked FORM's first major appearance in triathlon, with the company attending the Ironman Expo and introducing the technology to the endurance community.
FORM begins working with Lionel Sanders
FORM met Lionel Sanders in Kona and began working with the Canadian triathlete shortly after, making him one of the company's earliest elite athlete partners.
December 10, 2019 | Heart rate comes to FORM goggles
FORM added support for Polar OH1 and OH1+ heart-rate monitors, bringing physiological data into the swimmer's field of view alongside swim metrics.
For the first time, swimmers could see real-time heart rate while swimming, collected from a sensor worn at the temple.
It marked an important shift for FORM. The goggles weren't just showing what a swimmer was doing. They were beginning to show how their body was responding.
2020 | COVID changes where people swim
When pools around the world closed during the COVID-19 pandemic, swimmers were forced to find new ways to train, whether on a tether, in a swim spa, or in open water.
FORM adapted quickly, accelerating the development of its open-water capabilities and bringing real-time swim data into a new environment. Features originally on the roadmap were expedited in response to an unprecedented global disruption and ultimately became a permanent part of FORM's product evolution.
The experience reinforced something that would become central to FORM's development: build technology around how athletes actually train and race, wherever they swim.
July 29, 2020 | FORM brings real-time data to open water
FORM expanded beyond the pool with a free firmware update that introduced its first open-water capabilities. Swimmers could use Goggles Only mode to track open-water swims directly on the goggles, or Watch Mode to connect with compatible Garmin and Apple Watch devices for GPS-powered metrics.
The launch laid the foundation for FORM's continued investment in open-water technology, eventually leading to innovations like SwimStraight™ navigation, Effort Pace, and Effort Distance.
Early recognition
FORM began establishing itself as a new player in sports technology and innovation. Its flagship FORM Smart Swim Goggles received recognition including the iF Design Award, GOOD DESIGN® Award, Red Dot Design Award, German Innovation Award, and ISPO Brand New designation.
2021–2022 | From Product to Platform
August 24, 2021 | Guided Workouts launch
FORM launched its Guided Workouts experience, bringing structured, in-goggle workouts to swimmers through an annual or monthly membership. This marked the beginning of FORM's subscription model, which evolved into FORM Premium.
The focus shifted from simply tracking a swim to helping swimmers train with their data, follow structured workouts, and connect their swimming to a broader training plan.
July 21, 2022 | FORM partners with Kristian Blummenfelt and Gustav Iden
FORM announced a multi-year partnership with Olympic champion Kristian Blummenfelt, Ironman World Champion Gustav Iden, and their coach Olav Aleksander Bu, expanding its work with some of the world's top triathletes.
2021–2022 | Building the connected swim experience
FORM continued expanding the experience around its goggles, connecting swim data with platforms including Strava, TrainingPeaks, Final Surge, and Today's Plan.
The goggles remained the foundation, but the experience around them became increasingly important.
This period laid the groundwork for FORM's evolution from a hardware company into a technology-enabled training platform.
2023–2024 | From Data to Coaching
October 26, 2023 | Smart Swim Goggles become race-approved
World Triathlon confirmed FORM Smart Swim Goggles were the first smart swim goggles approved for competition, followed by approvals from the Professional Triathletes Organization, USA Triathlon, British Triathlon, and Super League Triathlon.
FORM swimmers were already using their goggles in competition, but this milestone formally validated their use in sanctioned racing, confirming that athletes could bring FORM's real-time data into the moments that matter most.
October 31, 2023 | HeadCoach™ launches
FORM introduced HeadCoach™, bringing live digital coaching directly into the goggles.
Until this point, FORM had largely focused on showing swimmers what they were doing. HeadCoach™ changed that.
Instead of simply displaying information, FORM could now help swimmers understand what to do next.
With real-time guidance on head position, pacing, breathing, stroke technique, and more, the goggles became more than a data display. They became an in-water coach.
FORM earns further industry recognition
FORM continued to receive industry recognition, including the Sports Technology Award for Best Wearable, the Global Triathlon Award for Best Swim Product, and an iF Design Award for User Experience and Product UX, recognizing innovation across its hardware and connected software experience.
April 2, 2024 | FORM Smart Swim 2 launches
FORM introduced the next generation of its flagship goggles, a new design paradigm for smart swim technology.
Smart Swim 2 was FORM's first major hardware release since the original goggles launched in 2019, making it a highly anticipated next chapter for the platform.
It delivered a 20% smaller, more hydrodynamic tech pack, ergonomically redesigned eye seals, and a significantly upgraded sensor platform. Integrated temple-based heart-rate monitoring delivers 97% ECG accuracy, putting highly accurate, reliable HR and zone data directly into the swimmer's field of view in real time.
April 2, 2024 | SwimStraight™ brings real-time navigation to open water
Alongside Smart Swim 2, FORM unveiled SwimStraight™, a digital compass that brought real-time directional guidance into the swimmer's field of view.
Swimmers could see their heading in real time, helping them hold a straighter line and avoid unnecessary course deviations without looking down at a watch or breaking their rhythm.
In racing, small navigational errors can add significant distance to a course. Holding a straighter line can mean avoiding hundreds of extra metres and, in some races, potentially saving minutes.
October 3, 2024 | Script turns any workout into a guided swim
FORM launched Script, an innovative workout creator that transforms written workout descriptions into guided workouts ready to swim in the goggles.
Swimmers could type, paste, or scan a workout using their phone, turning a workout from almost anywhere into a structured FORM session.
FORM Smart Swim 2 earns its flowers
Like its predecessor, Smart Swim 2 received numerous industry accolades, including the Sports Technology Award for Best Mechanical, Engineered & Wearable Technology and a GOOD DESIGN® Award, recognizing its engineering, technology, and design.
2025 | From Coaching to a Connected Training System
June 3, 2025 | FORM Smart Swim 2 PRO launches
FORM expanded the Smart Swim 2 family with Smart Swim 2 PRO, its most premium goggles yet.
Built for swimmers who put their goggles through serious training and race-day environments, PRO features Gorilla Glass 3 on both the inner and outer lenses for greater durability and scratch resistance, paired with a user-applied anti-fog solution for clear, uninterrupted visibility.
Unlike standard swim goggles that rely on factory-applied anti-fog coatings that can degrade over time, PRO lets swimmers refresh the anti-fog treatment as needed, combining durable Gorilla Glass with a fog-free experience designed to last.
November 6, 2025 | HeadCoach™ 2.0 launches
HeadCoach™ got its biggest upgrade yet, evolving from real-time guidance into a truly personalized coaching experience.
HeadCoach™ 2.0 analyzes each swimmer's performance, technique, and individual objectives to identify what matters most, then turns that analysis into clear, actionable feedback after every swim.
Each swimmer receives a specific focus for their next session, including guidance on how to execute it, bringing that focus back into the goggles when they swim again.
The result was a more useful coaching experience for swimmers of every ability. Newer swimmers get simple, actionable guidance to build better habits, while experienced swimmers can focus on specific aspects of technique and performance.
2025 | FORM named among North America's fastest-growing tech companies
FORM was named to the Deloitte Technology Fast 500™ North America, reflecting the company's continued growth as a sports technology business.
2026 | The FORM Swim System
May 5, 2026 | Smart Swim 2 LT expands access to the FORM experience
FORM introduced Smart Swim 2 LT, expanding the Smart Swim 2 family further and bringing the FORM experience to an even broader range of swimmers.
At $149 USD, LT is now the most accessible entry point into the FORM Swim System, bringing real-time guidance, structured training, and personalized coaching to more swimmers.
May 19, 2026 | HeadCoach™ 2.0 wins the Smarter Sports Award
The next generation of HeadCoach™ received the Smarter Athletics & Aquatics Innovation Award at the 2026 Smarter Sports Awards, recognizing its use of real-time technique analysis, guided feedback, personalized workouts, and swim intelligence.
August 26, 2026 | Recovery meets training
FORM expanded its connected ecosystem by integrating with WHOOP, connecting recovery data with HeadCoach™ to help adapt training to an athlete's readiness each day.
Recovery could inform training. Training could generate performance data. And that data could feed back into the next workout.
The system became increasingly connected.
Today | The Evolution of FORM
Ten years ago, FORM started with a simple idea:
What if swimmers could see the information they need while they swim?
That idea became the world's first Smart Swim Goggles.
But the goggles were never the destination. They were the beginning. They became the delivery mechanism for everything we would build around them.
Over the past decade, we have expanded from real-time swim metrics to heart-rate monitoring, open-water navigation, digital coaching, structured workouts, performance insights, and connected training integrations.
Today, the FORM Swim System brings those pieces together.
Smart Goggles + Premium + HeadCoach™ + Workouts + Performance Data + Connected Training
Our Smart Goggles provide real-time data and in-water coaching. Premium unlocks a deeper library of training tools and insights. HeadCoach™ brings personalized, adaptive coaching directly into the swimmer's field of view. Connected integrations bring training, performance, and recovery together across the broader fitness ecosystem.
What began as a pair of smart goggles has become a complete connected swim platform. We didn't just make smarter swim goggles. We built an entirely new way to experience, train, and race in the water.
Here's to the next ten years!
