Fitness Vistas
July 1, 2005
Fitness researcher Jim Annesi conducted a field
study on the effects of virtual reality–enhanced exercise equipment.
The
results: People who used virtual reality–enabled stationary bikes
were more
likely to work out and stick with their
program.
As products grow more
sophisticated, experiences
become even more engrossing. Exercise equipment
manufacturer Cybex
International recently announced a product called the Trazer
simulator,
which takes virtual reality a step further. Instead of just watching
a
simulation, Trazer users become part of the experience. Cybex designed the
system using optical sensors. The user wears a belt that has a square
plastic
beacon attached. As you move in front of the machine, your
movements are
mimicked by an on-screen avatar. Games such as Trap
Attack ask users to jump,
move and run.
The next step,
which Expresso Fitness has already taken, is
combining virtual reality
with head-to-head play. Today, people who are using
the Spark bike in
the same health club can ride against each other. Later this
year, the
company will add similar networking functionality for home users.
SportsArt Fitness, an exercise equipment manufacturer based in
Woodinville,
Wash., expects to launch its own networked exercise
equipment. Due for release
at the end of next year, SportsArt Fitness
will introduce cardio equipment that
lets users listen to satellite
radio and watch TV and movies, as well as surf
the Internet and connect
to their own personal trainer—whenever they want.
Pamela
Kufahl, editor of Club Industry’s Fitness Business Pro, a trade
magazine that caters to the health club industry, says the virtual
reality push
is happening because there is finally technology available
to facilitate it.
“Not everyone is going to want to have all these
high-end options, but for those
who do, the technology advancements are
finally there. The quality of equipment
is there,” she says.
Expresso’s Ballinghoff says virtual reality exercise
equipment
is just an offshoot of video games such as Konami Corp.’s Dance Dance
Revolution, which asks players to copy the dance moves of onscreen
players to
rack up a high score. “Interactivity is everywhere in our
life, and it’s finally
creeping into the gym,” Ballinghoff says. “If
you look at how charged-up people
get when they use virtual reality
machines, you see it: People forget that they
are exercising and just
think about the fact that they are having fun.”
Cybex International
508.533.4300, www.cybexinternational.com
Expresso
Fitness Corp.
408.746.9122, www.expressofitness.com
LPG One
305.379.8800, www.lpgone.com
SportsArt
Fitness
800.709.1400, www.sportsartfitness.com
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