When I was younger, my main activities were: going to school, playing field hockey and tennis. As I am getting older and life is more busy combining study, work and a social life, working out is sometimes not my priority. However, it should be high on my list. According to a Global Health report, more than a quarter of all adults over the world, do not get enough physical activity (Parker, 2016). This is concerning, since poor physical activity can lead to a big range of health issues that are recognized all over the world, including diabetes and mental health problems. Physical inactivity has even been identified as the fourth leading risk factor for global mortality (World Health Organization, 2017).
In the past years, technology attempted to solve this problem, by introducing fitness and nutrition applications. The value of the global fitness technology market is currently $17.9 million and is expected to flourish to $62.1 billion in 2025 (Parker, 2019). There have been a few start-ups that saw an opportunity of changing the fitness landscape, such as Aaptive Coach and Mirror.
Aaptiv Coach offers an AI-based assistant that provides a personalized fitness plan to each user, taking in account their fitness level, goals, eating patterns, and collected data from devices such as smart watches (ASEAN, 2019). Based on this data combined, the personal coach will explain them which actions should be taken to achieve these goals. The trainers create the classes, and these classes will be streamed to the app, making use of artificial intelligence to measure progress. To use this service, it costs $15 a month.
Another start-up, Mirror, invented an immersive mirror that turns into a ‘home gym’, whereby unlimited fitness classes are streamed (O’Brien, 2019). During the class, users will be able to see themselves, their classmates, and their instructor in the mirror. Besides, these customers have the opportunity to track their heartbeat and calories burned. In order to guarantee privacy, users can put a lens over the camera, if they are not using the product. Also, this product enables optimized, personalized workouts, one-o-one with an instructor.However, the costs for purchasing this mirror are $1500, plus a $40 monthly subscription.
With technologies, such as artificial intelligence and machine learning, people are able to exercise anywhere at any time. Besides, AI & ML make it possible to offer a personalized plan tailored to someone’s fitness levels and goals. I am sure that in the following years, the industry will shift to these initiatives and it will become the standard. However, the costs of using these services could be high, which means that only a small proportion of the people worldwide could use it. What do you think? Can technology actually help us to get in shape?
References
ASEAN. (2019, May 24). Meet Aaptiv Coach – an AI-based personal Coach – Asean HR. Retrieved October 16, 2019, from https://aseanhr.org/technology/meet-aaptiv-coach-an-ai-based-personal-coach/
O’Brien, S. (2019, October 8). This startup wants to put a personal trainer in your mirror. Retrieved October 16, 2019, from https://edition.cnn.com/2019/10/08/tech/mirror-fitness-startup-personal-training/index.html
Parker, R. (2019, July 16). Corporate Wellness Consulting Services Market 2019 Including Top Key Players- Corporate Fitness Works, EXOS, Karelia, Kersh Health, Kinema Fitness, Marino Wellness – A Market Research Report. Retrieved October 16, 2019, from https://www.amarketresearchreport.com/corporate-wellness-consulting-services-market-2019-including-top-key-players-corporate-fitness-works-exos-karelia-kersh-health-kinema-fitness-marino-wellness/36328/
World Health Organization. (2017, May 23). Physical Activity. Retrieved October 16, 2019, from https://www.who.int/dietphysicalactivity/pa/en/
Hi Nienke,
Interesting read! It’s very exciting to see what developments are happening in the fitness technology area.
However, I do have one big concern and this is the sensitive data that these apps collect and how this data is stored. Apps like these collect a lot of data regarding your health, weight, eating pattern and combined with a smart watch, this data increases significantly. Often, it is unknown what these companies do with your data. In a recent example, fitness companies shared sensitive fitness data with Facebook to ‘improve ad targeting’ (Statt, 2019). This could mean that data like your weight or eating pattern could be used by advertisers to specifically target you. This could also mean that these apps sell your data to other companies for their own gain
I think this is quite concerning and something users of these apps should be aware of. Also, I think this is a drive towards more data transparency and rules like the GDPR, to protect the customer.
Sources:
Statt, N. (2019). App makers are sharing sensitive personal information with Facebook but not telling users. Accessed on 16 October 2019 from https://www.theverge.com/2019/2/22/18236398/facebook-mobile-apps-data-sharing-ads-health-fitness-privacy-violation
Hi Sjoerd!
Thank you for your great comment. I totally agree with you, also for insurances it could be beneficial to gain some knowledge in our lifestyle. I could not find any information regarding data protection at these start-ups, but for their reputation it is critical to sustain. Therefore, I think it is should be mentioned in their policy and marketing.
Hi Nienke!
This is really interesting development ! I remember the time that I had the Nintendo Wii and was playing Wii sport and Wii Fit. That maybe was a predecessor to this new high-tech exercise mirror.
Therefore, I do agree with the statement that technology can help us get in shape. IMoreover, a lot of people are wearing a smartwatch to track their exercises and calories. So I believe that people will be willing to adapt new technologies and incorporate them into their exercise routine. However, there are a lot of people that like the social interaction of a team sport and I assume a mirror will not give them the same gratification. Thus, I do not think that technology will totally replace all outdoor physical exercises/ group sports.
What do you think?
Hi Jasmin!
Thank you for your comment. I agree with you that a mirror won’t give the same gratification as playing a team sport. I think that these technologies are mainly targeted at people who don’t prioritize working out in a team compared to a quick workout for just burning some calories. People who love to play teamsport will keep on doing this, but it could be especially beneficial for people who don’t like to workout with other people and don’t want to put too much effort in the whole process.
Furthermore, I really hope that technology won’t take over the sports industry, because what I love the most is a physical exercise, outside.
Hi Nienke,
Such an interesting article! Undoubtedly, a lot of investments have been made into health care/lifestyle industry, and so many applications have been created that help you to track your calories, help you understand your diet and the ones that provide physical exercises and tips for trainings. I do believe that such advancements as applications, AI assistants or virtual mirrors will help to exercise more, as it becomes so much easier and affordable nowadays. I think that people would use Aaptiv Coach as $15 per month is a really fair price to pay for personal coaching, especiall if you do not have time to track your nutrition and fitness level. I would definetely invest in that.
As for the virtual mirrors, people who like to exercise alone would appreciate this tool, however it lacks social interaction that one that only get during sport classes or other activities.
Answering to your question, I do believe that AI assistants, smart watches and other technologies will definetely help people be closer to having healthier lifestyle.
Hi Yana,
Thank you for reading my post and answering my question! For me as a student, $15 would be a great price as well. I am curious what the future of AI will bring for our lifestyle:)
Hi Nienke!
Interesting topic! I also believe technology will help people to get and stay in shape. Prices might be a bit high for now but also gym memberships and especially personal trianers are very expensive. Therefore I think that these prices will not withhold many from using these technologies and it could become a new standard in sports.