Unified Weapons Master
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| Focus | Hybrid weapons-based combat |
|---|---|
| Creator | Chiron Global |
Unified Weapons Master, or UWM, is a hybrid martial art developed by the Australian start-up firm Chiron Global using Smart technology in a gladiator-style, carbon-fiber armored suit.[1] UWM is the first sport that combines Gaming technology with weapons-based Combat sports. The armored suit technology, also known as “The Lorica suit”, completely protects its user's body while electronic sensors record an opponent's strike position and power on the body. Opponents use a variety of martial arts and weaponry to attack each other and software keeps score of the damage that would have been done to an unprotected body.[2]
The Lorica suit derives its name from the Latin word Lorica literally meaning “body armor”.[3] Also, the name references various armor types of the Roman army such as the Lorica segmentata.[4]
Forsell first envisioned UWM when attending while training krabi-krabong at the Buddhai Swan Sword Fencing Institute in Bangkok. While there, Forsell envisioned a forum for all the world's myriad weapons-based martial arts to be practiced at once.[5] Weapons-based martial arts have been practiced globally throughout history and, although most have died out due to modernizing warfare, there are ninety-six arts still practiced. Yet there is no platform for cross-discipline challenges to objectively determine a winner. In addition, full-contact fighters using weapons are near impossible since, “barring all-out death matches, there’s really no way for weapons based martial artists to really test their skills.”[1] The founders therefore sought to establish one single arena for comprehensive competition.[4]
Team
Unified Weapons Master was founded by David Pysden, J Forsell and Samantha English, each with backgrounds in several industries including martial arts and software engineering.[3][6] Forsell specifically has extensive background in full-contact, semi-contact and weapons-based martial arts. Other technical experts include gaming and film consultants, as well as medical consultants with anatomical expertise. Pysden has stated "Our vision is to reignite interest in weapons-based martial arts that have been practised and developed over thousands of years".[7] The suit developers include experienced armorers, prop-makers, and mold makers, while the software is run by several engineers and programmers.[3][4]
Business model
Pysden has stated that UWM's investors are private and has not disclosed the series A funding amount. As of July 2014, UWM had completed a series A round of funding, also for an undisclosed amount.[3] In 2015, Chiron launched a project titled “Indiegogo” to raise additional capital while raising awareness. To date it has raised around USD $50,000 of their goal of $72,000.[6][5][8]