FITNESS

Technology is helping a generation of gadget fans find a smarter way to get fitter.

RISE OF THE MACHINES

NIKE AND APPLE FIRST FUSED TECHNOLOGY and fitness when their Nike+ product hit the market last year, sending an army of rudimentary cyborgs out onto the world’s streets. This summer sees the arrival of the 2.0 version of their technologically-enhanced exercise concept, but they’re no longer alone in the market and now the race is on for the most seamless integration of motivational software, accessible hardware and sweating human.

In case you missed it, the original Nike+ is designed to allow joggers to track their progress and set themselves targets. A small RFID (radio frequency identification) chip is inserted into the user’s running shoe, which senses the distance run and time taken, transmitting the information to the user’s iPod Nano. Voice feedback then informs them of personal bests, calories burned and other motivational information.

Syncing the iPod with a computer uploads the information onto the internet, allowing the individual to monitor it and share it online with friends. The next incarnation of Nike+ will head off the road and into gyms, with users plugging their iPod directly into the gym machines to record, share and analyse their performance.

“The Nike+ iPod experience revolutionised running. Now we’re revolutionising the gym cardio experience,” said Trevor Edwards, Nike’s vice president of Global Brand and Category Management. “We’re enabling people who go to the gym to have an opportunity to set goals, track progress, and compete in challenges with their friends and other members of nikeplus. com. It’s a ground breaking tool for people who want to maximise their workouts.”

Around 50-60% of gym members drop out each year, and this training technology is entering the market to help keep motivation high and smooth away those human imperfections. “In future everyone will have a personal trainer,” said Fred Pernet, project manager of Aidept, an interactive gaming and fitness initiative currently piloting at Codeworks and the University of Teesside, UK. “We’ll all have a virtual person who will manage our exercise schedule, know us personally and care about our progress.” According to Pernet, it’s the next logical step in the merging of technology and exercise.

Mobile phone companies are getting in on the act too. Constantly in contact with the body, the phone is perfectly placed to monitor health and fitness levels. Samsung and Adidas launched miCoach back in March, combining RFID chips in Adidas footwear and clothing to monitor heart rate and sense strides and distance travelled. Like Nike+, the resulting data can then be uploaded and viewed online. Meanwhile Nokia announced its solar and kinetic powered wrist and neck strap and eco-sensor at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES). This measures both environmental and personal health status.

With the mass market take up of Nintendo’s Wii and Sony’s iToy, and the prospect of games one day employing GPS to track movement, technology is making exercise challenging, rewarding, and even addictive for many who wouldn’t consider themselves as the sporting type. One day it may even contribute towards fitness related bonuses at work or potential tax deductibles. That’s great news for healthcare, obesity concerns and the world’s aging population – and even better news for all those wasted gym memberships.

MIRIAM RAYMAN IS THE TECHNOLOGY CORRESPONDENT FOR THE FUTURE LABORATORY AND EDITS THE LIFESIGNS NETWORK (www.LIFESIGNSNETWORK.NET) A COMMUNITY AND TREND-BASED WEBSITE FOR THE GLOBAL BRANDING AND CREATIVE INDUSTRIES.

WORDS BY MIRIAM RAYMAN