The key to the fitness of tomorrow is to keep you entertained and motivated. And now, there are more products than ever before to help you reach that goal.
Brands showed off a wide range of connected- and immersive-fitness machines and technologies at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas last week.
The show featured a slew of products, from apps to wearables. Here are the following fitness machines and “get-fit” tools that stood out from the crowd.
Huami Amazfit HomeStudio
Combine a treadmill, 43-inch HD screen, surround sound, and a smartphone app, and you get the Amazfit HomeStudio. Amazfit is known for its fitness-tracking wearables but is now getting into the connected home fitness equipment game.
The Amazfit HomeStudio system uses over 1,000 fitness classes across many types of workouts from the STUDIO portfolio to get you fit. The big GLASS screen connects to your smartphone to display the classes, real-time metrics, and more.
Availability and pricing have not yet been announced for the Huami Amazfit HomeStudio.
Ergatta Digital Rower
Personalized challenges — and even onscreen games — help you get fit at home with the Ergatta Digital Rower. The rowing machine may have high-quality cherrywood construction, but it still offers an effective full-body workout at home, with the addition of a high-tech screen. It’s also a beautiful piece of equipment and folds up to take up little space.
The Ergatta Digital Rower is available now for preorder at a discounted $1,799. It will officially launch in March for a retail price of $1,999.
Vuzix Labs Smart Swim
Vuzix Labs is taking your swim workouts to the next level. The Vuzix Labs Smart Swim is a connected, smart heads-up display that connects to your swim goggles. The system is a wearable Android computer with a full-color display and Bluetooth audio. It has a GPS sensor, nine-axis motion sensors, and a 7-plus-hour runtime.
The Smart Swim offers specialized training apps for both the pool and open-water swimming. Not only do these apps monitor and record your swimming, but they provide coaching as well. On top of displaying tons of data in real time while you swim, the Smart Swim also allows you to play video and audio to stay entertained on those long swim days.
The Vuzix Labs Smart Swim is available now but will set you back $500.
FlexIt App
This app allows you to work out at over 1,000 gyms across the country without buying memberships or paying flat-rate day fees.
Instead, you pay a per-minute fee at the gym of your choosing. You can also book trainers and take classes under the same model. This allows you to sample all that gyms have to offer before you get locked into a membership.
It also just allows you to get in the workout of your choice at the location of your choice when you’re on the road traveling.
The FlexIt app is available for both iOS and Android devices.
LEOMO IMU Sensors & Type-S Computer
Professional-level body mechanics data is now in your hands thanks to LEOMO. It has created Bluetooth motion sensors that have both a three-axis gyroscope and a three-axis accelerometer to accurately capture and analyze data on an athlete’s body position and performance.
The LEOMO Type-S computer unit uses a set of five of these sensors, placed at strategic points on the body, to create motion performance indicators (MPIs) that quickly quantify and interpret your motion.
The LEOMO system is currently targeted at cyclists and runners who want to optimize their cycling and running form. The top-of-the-line LEOMO Type-S Sensor Kit Pro is available now and costs $799. Other LEOMO kits are available for less.
ASICS EvoRide
ASICS showed up at CES this year with an entire running lab setup. Not only did it show off an energy-saving shoe but also a “smart shoe” prototype.
I got a chance to run on a treadmill at the show with the new lightweight (9 ounces) ASICS EvoRide shoe. The shoe uses a unique, curved sole that works to limit the movement of the ankle joint, thus reducing energy output in each stride.
ASICS analyzed my running in two different running shoes and showed that the EvoRide did indeed reduce my ankle flexion. The shoe feels a bit odd at first, but it does seem to work. The EvoRide will be available worldwide on February 7 for $120.
Smart shoe prototype: While the “smart shoe” prototype was based on the EvoRide for demonstration at the show, the technology will actually be built into a different ASICS legacy shoe when it hits the market later this year. An embedded sensor module in the shoe will provide immediate biomechanic feedback by connecting to a smartphone app.
While this tech will add weight to the shoe, it should be great for training when you’re trying to dial in your running form for maximum efficiency and speed.
