Health IT, Startups

Travel the world on a treadmill (and beat the boredom) with a virtual reality exercise app

If tech startups like Paofit have their way, people will no longer be able to […]

If tech startups like Paofit have their way, people will no longer be able to cite boredom as an excuse not to exercise.

Paofit is combining high-definition video with avatars and mobile technology to turn the treadmill into a virtual reality experience that takes runners and walkers through courses all over the world.

The app, currently available only for the iPad but in development for Android and iPhones, puts users in the middle of videos shot at locations like Tuscany, Italy and the Sequoia National Forest in California. Users open the app, download their course of choice, place their mobile device on the treadmill and calibrate the app. Then, the app will be able to draw data from the device’s accelerometer, causing the course to speed up or slow down based on the user’s cadence.

Avatars of others running the same course also appear in the app, creating a sense of camaraderie and challenge, Paofit says.

A partnership with Life Fitness allows the app to interact directly with its treadmills when the user’s device is connected via Life Fitness’s Track+ or Discover Tablet console. The company is also planning to release a treadmill speed sensor that will connect other treadmills with the app via Bluetooth.

Virtual reality and gesture-driven technologies are gaining steam in healthcare, both in the fitness and therapy settings, as a way to make both more fun and engaging.

And it’s a worthy cause: According to the CDC, nearly 80 percent of American adults don’t get the recommended 2.5 hours of aerobic exercise each week.

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