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5 min readMar 6, 2019

AR and VR Roles in Fitness with Neuro Rehab VR

by Annakila Jepsen on March 05, 2019

AR and VR Roles in the Fitness Industry:
Over the last 20 years or so, the Tech industry has endured tremendous growth, and has gradually been accepted into our day to day lives in almost every aspect. While some technologies have been accepted much quicker than others, it is undeniable that regardless of the field or applications, this ominous thing has taken over the simple semantics of our day to day lives, and our relationship with it has become increasingly intimate.

In 2008, something happened that drastically changed the way technology interferes with health and fitness: The Wii Fit was released. This interactive technology made that expensive, and widely sought after home-gym experience so much more accessible for all walks of life. It eliminated the necessity of a gym membership, a personal trainer, and pricey home equipment at a comparatively low cost, and more importantly, it made fitness fun.

Here we are 10 years later faced with a similar, yet unique solution to our in-home activities, though in this case, it can be said that the potential for this new solution goes far beyond the grasps of Nintendo’s Wii Fit, and is much more accessible to the common folk.

Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality’s cheaper younger sibling, though by no means inferior, has presented us with extraordinary possibilities. With a simple download from the app store, we now have access to fully catered fitness solutions which are equally as interactive and enjoyable as predecessors such as the Wii Fit, but granted mobile accessibility and resources from anyone with the ability to create such an experience.

With the latest wearable smart tech linked up to your device, these AR applications can track your heart rate, calories burnt, and movement, assisting in fitness and general health goals alike. Plenty of games have already hit the market which encourage people to get up and interact with the world around them. Notably, Pokemon GO! Has been one of the most popular of these, and has almost single handedly spearheaded the movement toward a more interactive and virtual world.

With the way our modern day to day lives have evolved, it is becoming more and more difficult to find time for our health and fitness routines, making the regular trip to the gym a bit more costly than we can afford when it comes to our time. This is a huge contributing factor to why Augmented Reality is now becoming such a widely accepted part of our lives, so with that in mind, we at Neuro Rehab VR have begun working on solutions that aim to make fitness and self care as easy and convenient as possible.

Wellness Breaks by NRVR:

As SXSW 2019 approaches, we felt that this was an ideal time to announce our new solution, and have decided to hone in on the infamous wellness tips you hear fitness enthusiasts preaching, and created an AR experience inspired by the teachings of self care. Conventions can be stressful, busy, and frankly, exhausting, so while attendees certainly are not suffering from a lack of physical activity, we are hoping to provide a source of stress relief so they can escape that negative headspace and take a moment to decompress.

Wellness Breaks by Neuro Rehab VR are a Snapchat-based AR experience which encourages its users to take a break and release some of their frustrations and tension by getting active for a few minutes. Snapchat has been the media of choice for convention-goes since its big AR debut in 2016, so it’s an easy, hassle free solution for our audience.

The experience is a rear camera lens which allows users to interact with 3D AR characters. The avatars demonstrate to the user how to perform a particular activity, which will be constantly changing throughout the convention, and encourages them to join in and share with their friends.

We hope that this will serve as a stepping stone into a larger AR movement, showing people that not all hope is lost when it comes to their goals and aspirations for reaching their optimal selves. Maintaining a stable diet, healthy habits, and a good level of physical activity isn’t just mentally challenging, but painfully time consuming and not something everyone can afford. But with the use of the ever-growing AR applications, this obstacle is changing. Now, with the simple download of an app, a 30-minute workout really is just a 30 minute workout. The process remains the same, but the middle man has changed, eliminating the extra time it takes to visit your local gym, work around class schedules, or meet up with your personal trainers.

The lenses are now live, and can be unlocked by scanning the codes below in your snapchat app:

For all SXSW attendees, we have an added bonus in store. One lucky winner will be chosen from those who record and share their AR experiences with us to receive a free VR headset! Be sure to tune in with us on our social media where the winner will be announced following the end of the convention!