Fitness Vistas
07/01/2005
Virtual reality—computer-generated environments that make users feel as though they are actually experiencing what is being simulated—has been around since the 1950s. But the technology was not widely utilized until the 1990s, when video games and personal computers became big business. Hardware manufacturers released VR headsets and glasses, while pundits promised that virtual reality would soon affect every facet of our culture, from movies to television to dentistry. Fast-forward 10 years, and we are still waiting. Sure, virtual reality is still an important technology for pilots, soldiers and hardcore gamers, but it is not in every living room. A spate of new exercise equipment being released may change that. |
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Duane Clemons is one of the early adopters of virtual exercise equipment. A defensive end for the Cincinnati Bengals, he has been injured several times over his decade-long career. As a result, he is very familiar with traditional rehabilitation, something he says is effective but does not strengthen core muscles or improve balance.
Last August, he started working with a new piece of equipment called SpineForce, designed to speed his conditioning. Manufactured by Miami-based LPG One, SpineForce is not your typical exercise machine. The device resembles a giant doctor’s scale with small ladders on either side, and employs virtual reality to help users hit their marks—both literally and figuratively. Exercisers grasp different rungs of the ladders, while the platform rotates. The workout comes from using the spinal and core muscles to keep a visual cue steady; you know you are doing it right when you can keep a small bull’s-eye in the green zone.
“If the bull’s-eye is lit up, you know you’re on track,” says Clemons. “You could probably use the machine without the bull’s-eye, but it wouldn’t be as productive. Since I’ve been using the equipment, I’ve definitely seen an increase in proprioception, balance, body control and endurance. I’m 31 years old and playing better now than when I started, and I know it’s because of this equipment.”
Brian Thomason, fitness director for Bay Club Bank of America Center in San Francisco, recently installed two Expresso Fitness Spark stationary cycles for his clients. The cycle, which connects to the Internet, is top-of-the-line. It has a 17-inch LCD display, different built-in music channels and a TV tuner. Most impressive, though, is the Spark’s 18 virtual reality bike courses.
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“We’ve got one course that’s on the California coastline. Another is through the Peruvian mountains. Another is a ride through space,” explains Sandy Ballinghoff, vice president of business development for Expresso Fitness, based in Sunnyvale, Calif. “People have been exercising for years and, quite frankly, are getting bored. Now you can get the feel of being outside when you’re inside, and you can even compete against others who are riding the Spark.”
The Spark courses show all the detail of the actual locations they are modeled after. Anyone who has been to the Lexington Reservoir in Santa Clara will recognize the ride on the Spark. The virtual reality version looks just like the real thing—complete with other hard-core riders. It feels like the real thing, too. Pedaling varies in difficulty as the course moves through the mountains and down into the valleys.
The appeal of virtual reality is obvious. It is the immersion factor. Instead of just sitting on a bike or running on a treadmill by yourself, you actually feel like you are moving along a path or down a ravine. Simply put: You have something other than your aching muscles to concentrate on. Research supports this. Thomason says people who ride the Spark spend more time exercising than those who use other stationary bikes. “People are doing longer sessions. We’re hearing it’s more enjoyable and that the rides seem to go much faster,” he says. “You also feel the ride more, so it’s more challenging.”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