Now this sounds pretty cool. Imagine you’re in an indoor cycling class, but instead of staring at a mirror, fixating on having the perfect form—or at least having as good of form as the person next to you—you’re gazing at a narrow, winding road ahead of you. There’s a full moon overhead that casts an eerie glow on the craggy terrain around you, and the only way out is a dauntingly steep climb over a mountain pass. And that’s when the instructor yells, “Hyperdrive!” and you cycle full force.
The Hong Kong gym is called “Immersive Fitness,” and it’s the first indoor gym studio with a 270-degree virtual-reality screen in the world. Its aim is to leave reality behind and become fully immersed in animation and music to achieve a better workout.
The concept is a partnership between Hong Kong-based Pure Fitness, and New Zealand fitness giant Les Mills, which designs and provides the content, the former having spent more than $400,000 building the studio.
Though the technology is still new, they say there is huge growth potential because the opportunities are limitless: For instance, they could add scent or a mist to enhance the experience even more. The Hong Kong gym plans to expand to other classes including yoga. And they’re not the only gym to offer this. Other gyms have been trialing similar technology. And companies have been experimenting with Facebook’s Oculus Rift virtual headset, to allow riders to cycle around the world, all without leaving the comfort of home.
The jury’s still out as to whether using this technology in the gym will turn into major profits, but we think it’s at least worth a spin.
Relevant source:
http://www.cnn.com/2015/06/17/asia/virtual-reality-spin-class/
Curated from CNN
