Applications of IoT in the Fitness Industry
Before I can dive into this topic , I want you to know a bit of about my background owing to which I am in a position to write this blog.
I have been working in the embedded industry for the last 4 years and specifically in the IoT segment for the last two years in the same time space. But I have been hitting the gym regularly (at least 3 times a week) for the last 7 odd years, out of which 4 have overlapped with my work life. This gives me clear knowledge in both these segments i.e. the IoT as well as the Fitness Industry. So lets get down to the main topic at hand then, where I will list down each problem and how IoT provides a very comprehensive solution for the same.
Tracking goals
Every individual who enters a gym registers with a specific goal in mind.
- Expert tip: If you come with the mindset of just getting stronger, or gaining or loosing weight , without having a number to focus on, you’ll just be another individuals who join on new year’s day and may not be seen again after the first month.
Coming back to the topic, when you have a specific target weight or goal(strength / speed / endurance) in mind, the motivation comes when you see progress in towards that goal or the knowledge that needs to be gained if you aren’t seeing any progress. So the first problem is how to effectively keep track without really focusing on “keeping track” and focusing completely on just working out. This is where IoT comes into the picture.
Imagine wearing a wristband which uniquely identifies every Individual coming to the gym, when he/she steps on the weight when they enter the gym each day, that data is directly logged on to a cloud platform:
- Which can show graphs of variations in the individuals weight.
- Predict the weight loss / gain in time interval.
- Give feedback on the effort / changes required to stay on track to hit your goals.
- Re-adjust routines and diets based on data gathered.
All this and much more with minimal effort from the individual. This same can be extended to just about any machine in the gym. A stationary bicycle, elliptical jogger, treadmill etc. you name it, IT CAN BE DONE.
I hope you haven’t imagined this.
A simple RFID chip in a wristband, with each machine having a RFID reader and IoT enabled would suffice :)
Personalised routines
Now being a gym fanatic, I’m very old school. I carry a pocket diary with me and a pen and each day I list down the the exercises I’ll be doing along with the expected sets I need to do and the target weight I’ll be lifting and repetitions I will perform for each set. Now here are the problems of following this age old method.
- I have no count of the pens and books I have lost following this method
- I sometimes have no time to enter the data, or I forget to enter the data at times.
- I cannot reflect well on the data collected since I cannot directly visualize it.
Come in IoT.
Now imagine , that every set for every exercise you do is logged on the cloud with the use of smart dumbbells, and weight machines. Wait actually don’t imagine, just have a look at the video below.
The applications of such technology will directly tackle my problem.
- The machines themselves will track my repetitions and weight.
- The cloud can give me great insight on my lifting patterns and my strength gains overtimes.
- It can even predict my weak areas and suggest on how to improve the same.
- I can generate graphical data to visualize my progress over time.
- Also I can just send my workout routine to my mobile phone which can alert me after every rep, and even prompt that I have not hit my target reps and my smart phone can now be my smart training partner.
- I can also keep a track of things(diet/routines) that worked for me that things that didn’t.
- Expert tip: Cell phones cannot give you support while lifting heavy weights, please do not bid farewell to your human training partners just yet ;)
The Business End
Now the above two tackle individual level issues. Lets see how IoT can help nutritionists , trainers, gym owners … basically the business end of the fitness industry.
Attendance tracking
Owners can now track number individuals attending their facilities, at any given time. This will give insights on peak times, predict when and how to launch promotional offers, and even alert members of pending payments and of other promotional material based on their attendance or lack of it.
Monitoring vital stats
If the facilities have in house experts, they can even track vital stats of every individual in gym. This can also help doctors remotely monitor their patients during their workouts , so that the individuals with specific health conditions of the heart etc., do not over do it in the gym (perhaps to impress the opposite gender :P ), or monitor those with obesity to force them to actually workout.
Lets no restrict just to human health, IoT takes it a step further and even enables monitoring of machine health, hence predict or make aware of servicing or maintenance for any machine present with the facility.
Tracking Client Progress
Well this is just the culmination of the first two solution but extended for personal trainers or nutritionists who have been hired by individuals and will have access to their clients data present on the cloud.
Using this data they can adjust and provide extremely personalized nutrition requirements or workout routines/intensity levels suited to every clients need. This is a major aspect overlooked in the fitness industry, as all experts will always agree that there is no “one size fits all” approach in this industry.
Well I can keep yapping on about this topic, but the fact is this a highly lucrative and untapped segment in the broad spectrum of the IoT industry.
We at Bolt IoT already have many products developed in the same segment which we plan to launch in the near future. If you are looking to build an IoT product or looking for an end to end IoT solution for your company? I will be glad to speak to you and guide through the process. Please fill this short form at http://boltiot.com/app/consult.phpto schedule a call.
