Who hasn't grabbed a stick and pretended it was a sword at one point in their lives? Now, with a bit of help from technology, Sabertron swords are helping everyone live out that sword-fighting fantasy, but with some actual score-keeping.
With Sabertron, children (and adults) can have moderately safe foam sword fights, and actually have a gauge as to which person wins. The system ignores sword-on-sword contact, but removes life points when it detects contact with other objects, namely the person at which a user is swinging their sword.
The devices work through accelerometers that detect movement, and a sudden lack thereof when the sword makes contact with an object. Wireless communication between the swords lets them know when they have made contact with one another.
Player health is indicated through lights on the sword. Each successful offensive attack removes a line from the opposing player's health until eventually someone runs out completely, leaving the other player standing victorious over their fallen friend. LevelUp, the company that is developing Sabertron, promises to enhance the battle with realistic sound effects when the swords meet each other.
Multiple game modes are supported by the devices, which should help expand upon the kind of fun that can be had. Modes included sound pretty fun and include things such as one shot kills, a seemingly never-ending mode with faster health regeneration, and even a mode where the strength of the impact determines the amount of health loss.
The swords will be available in two styles; a lightsaber-like design and more traditional medieval look – so whether players prefer to act out Star Wars or Lord of the Rings, Sabertron will have them covered.
For the time being, this is offered as a two-player system, but later in the year the team plans to make it available for larger battles (think live-action role playing). This will be accomplished with a device each player wears on their chest that keeps track of life loss due to hits from multiple swords. The team also plans to roll out armor, helmets, and other products for LARPers.
LevelUp is seeking funding on Kickstarter to bring its Sabertron swords to market. It's still a ways away from its lofty US$195,000 goal, but its funding period is still in the early stages. Backers interested in receiving a pair of swords can still get in on the early bird special for $99. Once those run out, the price goes up to $125.
The pitch video below provides more information and shows the swords in action.
Sources: Sabertron, Kickstarter via SlashGear
