Since we’re officially 9 weeks away from Summer here in Australia, we thought it would be a good time to have a look at the innovation that’s happening in the fitness technology space. With the rise of online, digital, and Internet of Things (IoT) connected devices changing the way we do almost everything else – we know it’s just a matter of time before technology drastically changes the way we engage in fitness activity.
Virtual Reality (VR) and the Gamification of Fitness:
Since the success of Pokémon Go in introducing augmented reality (AR) fitness-based activity games to our handheld devices – it’s a natural progression that fitness companies started looking at how AR and VR can be implemented in traditional fitness pursuits.
Two companies are currently leading the way with these types of technology, VirZOOM and Black Box VR.
VirZoom takes a regular stationary bike and adds a TV screen, a VR headset, game controllers on your bike’s handlebars, and Bluetooth motion sensors on the pedals, and transforms your workout with gamification. With an ever-evolving library of games, you can engage in war games, pretend you’re riding a Pegasus, and race against other connected users. Like any traditional game, you can collect gems, coins, shoot, and meet speed requirements in order to pass levels.
Black Box VR takes the gamification of fitness to an entirely new level. Enter your gaming/gym pod, put on the VR headset and hands-free VR controllers, grab your cables and enter a state-of-the-art game. While the user performs movements with real resistance, heroes in the game lift items and break through gates, and achievements enable you to move up levels and earn trophies. A brainchild of bodybuilding.com founder Ryan DeLuca, it’s clear that Black Box VR will be a huge success.
Next Generation Home Fitness Equipment:
Home fitness technology is about to get a lot smarter, cater for your on-demand needs, and personalise your every workout. Cutting-edge equipment companies Peloton and Mirror have emerged as leading innovators in the future of fitness technology.
Mirror:
Mirror is an IoT device, and when turned off it’s an ordinary full-length mirror, able to be wall mounted or not depending on your preference. When it’s on, their website says you’ll see yourself, your instructor, and your classmates in an interactive display that has an embedded camera and speakers. Offering cardio, yoga, strength, and boxing classes that you can stream directly into your home from their NYC studio in unlimited amounts, their library of on-demand workouts boasts 50+ new live classes weekly. The interface also uses your personal fitness profile and biometric data to optimize each of your workouts – enabling you to get maximum results and get real-time feedback from your instructors.
Peloton Bike, Tread, and Digital:
Perhaps the most impressive of all the emerging fitness technology products, Peloton has thus far raised over $1 Billion USD in funding for their interactive at-home fitness products. Peloton products offer a convenient and immersive experience, access to their streaming daily live classes from their NYC studio, 24-hour access to their classes, progress tracking, and automatic updates to their technology.
If you’re not able to invest in their bike or treadmill (whether due to price, space, or location), you can still get interactive and immersive with Peloton Digital – a platform where you can have direct access to their top of the line training programs and live-streaming classes. With up to 20 live studio classes daily and offering a mix of cycling, running, boot camp, floor and outdoor workouts – they boast an impressive 10,000+ classes for you to complete at your convenience.
While these emerging technologies are no-doubt impressive, they’re likely merely the tip of the iceberg of the changes that we’re going to see in the realm of fitness technology. The future of fitness is coming, and it is technology and internet based.
Read about how to manage your children’s tech time during the school holidays here.