Exercise

Cyberbike brings an exercise bike to Wii’s growing army of peripherals

By Paul Lester

17:40 October 14, 2009 PDT

Most sane people would agree that cardiovascular exercise is a pretty boring way to get fit and, unless you’re working out with a friend, a little extra visual stimulation would rarely go amiss. The Nintendo Wii has already had a decent crack at bringing a bit of fun to boring routines with the Wii Fit and EA Sports Active, and seems to have picked up one of the minigames from the latter as the subject of its latest peripheral revolution. Read More

Fitbit activity monitor keeps tabs on your every move

By Paul Ridden

04:19 October 1, 2009 PDT

Fitbit is an activity monitor which conveniently clips to pants, shirt or wristband and pays careful attention to what you are doing. It counts your steps, records distance traveled and tells you how many calories you've burned. When you're not being active it'll record data on how long it takes you to fall asleep, how many times during the night you awoke and how much sleep you actually managed to get. Go within a few feet of its base station and it will automatically upload the data to a website for subsequent detailed analysis and storage. Read More

The River Gym - harnessing renewable energy from burnt-off calories

By Paul Lester

18:00 September 30, 2009 PDT

It seems clear that our ability to more efficiently harness forms of renewable energy is vital to the future of our planet, but aside from the archetypal 'hamster in a wheel', few models have effectively relied on energy generated from living creatures. The River Gym is one of the more innovative concepts to break water in recent times and looks to cash in on our desire to exercise to stay fit and healthy by capturing the energy we expend when burning calories. Read More

Work out with Taizo the exercising robot

By Darren Quick

00:42 September 15, 2009 PDT

‘Taizo’ is a humanoid robot designed to lead the elderly in physical exercises. He stands just 72cm (28") tall and has 26 degrees of freedom that enables him to smoothly demonstrate around 30 different moves for his followers to imitate. Since his primary assignment is to help the elderly, most of his exercise regime centers around chair-bound activities, but he can stand up to demonstrate some actions. Read More

The computer-controlled Climbstation vertical treadmill

By Jack Martin

01:34 July 11, 2009 PDT

Now here's one of those ideas that leaps out at you with its commercial potential. Climbing offers extreme exercise with a nuclear fun factor and teaches fundamental coordination skills but it can be dangerous and scary with the heights involved, and besides, a climbing wall requires a serious commitment to locate and build. The computer-controlled ClimbStation is like an intelligent vertical treadmill for climbers, so it provides real climbing without the need for a safety harness because you never got more than a metre off the ground. ClimbStation hydraulically tilts between +15 degrees and minus 39 degrees, the holds are interchangeable, and the most significant thing about the ClimbStation is that it can be transported with a normal car trailer, making it an ideal relocatable owner-operator or amusement attraction. Read More

The ergoErgo delivers a new twist on the old exercise ball

By Jude Garvey

05:22 May 20, 2009 PDT

ergoErgo is a cleverly designed stool that promises all the benefits of a sitting on an exercise ball in a compact package that will not roll away from under you. Just like a health ball, Alan Heller's funky design helps to strengthen your inner core and align your spine whilst you get on with your work. Read More

Suunto's new heart rate monitors - laboratory on a wrist

By Darren Quick

18:41 May 14, 2009 PDT

Elite athletes know that training smarter is much better than training harder, and to do that you need to know exactly what's happening in your body. Suunto has introduced its new Triathlon collection heart rate monitors which measure the time interval between heartbeats and its variations to produce seven different body parameters as well as analyze these readings to provide the information needed to maximize their training efforts. Read More

Powabyke tackles record breaking 1655-mile trek

By Karen Sprey

05:45 May 14, 2009 PDT

As you read this, 66-year-old Briton Eddie Sedgemore is powering his way all over the UK mainland, a 1,655-mile journey on a Powabyke X-byke electric bicycle to raise money for the British Heart Foundation. The Powabyke is a regular looking bike that has a 250 watt motor which slots into the water bottle holder and weighs only 2.5kg, allowing riders to coast along at a steady 15mph (add another 10mph in pedal assist mode). Read More

The highly-desirable 1000 watt Limited Edition TidalForce M-750 x2.0 electric fold-up bike

By Mike Hanlon

18:11 May 12, 2009 PDT

Military-funded projects often pave the way for a much better consumer product, and although the original DARPA funding of the development of the Tactical Electric No Signature (TENS) Mountain bike for Marines and paratroopers is now over a decade old, hold onto your hats folks, because the design has been upgraded and will be sold in limited quantities with a 1000 watt propulsion system. The TidalForce M-750 x2.0 is based around the commercially available (and ingenious) Montague Paratrooper folding bike but has a top speed of over 30 mph and range on a single charge is 25 - 28 miles, using the electric power only. The E+ advanced propulsion system features nine forward power modes, nine resistance (exercise) modes, cruise control and anti-theft. It folds to 3 x 3 ft, so it fits in the boot, and the componentry is first class with RockShox Tora 302 Forks, Shimano XTR brakes, FSA Gossamer 30/38/52 tooth crank set, Crane Creek Thudbuster ST seat suspension and a WTB Speed-V Seat. Like we said - highly-desirable. Read More

Fitness out of the box

By Jude Garvey

21:43 April 28, 2009 PDT

The Fitness Cube is an ultra-compact fitness solution for your home. Within seconds it transforms into a weights machine and all the exercise accessories are contained neatly within the cube. An eight-position resistance switch ensures you work out at your optimum fitness level and the supplied poster details the correct way to perform 30 different exercises. Read More

GlideCycle: giving back independence and mobility

By Karen Sprey

22:14 April 6, 2009 PDT

The GlideCycle offers a whole new world of mobility, independence and exercise to people of almost any age with disabilities and injuries. Looking a little like a bike, but with no pedals and a frame over the top of the body rather than underneath, the GlideCycle uses a suspended ergonomic saddle that holds the pelvis to support body weight so that the rider can walk, run or glide with no pressure on the crotch or perineum. It provides major cardio benefits with virtually zero impact, is easily mastered, comfortable and fun to use, quick to assemble – and it’s affordable. So what’s the catch? There isn’t one. Read More

GAMEROX gaming chair gets kids moving while sitting down

By Darren Quick

18:41 December 14, 2008 PST

If there’s one thing most parent’s hate seeing, it’s their offspring slumped in from of the TV, video game controller in hand, ruining their posture and getting fatter by the second. This is one of the many reasons Nintendo’s Wii has proven so popular and now a company with a new concept in game seating is also hoping to do its bit for poor childhood posture and inactivity by getting kids moving and improving their posture while they sit playing video games. The GAMEROX chair is designed to promote movement during game play to deliver health benefits through improved circulation, movement and exercise by taking advantage of children’s natural tendency to move with the onscreen action. Read More

Seat-less bike design promises fitter children

By Emily Clark

17:17 October 22, 2008 PDT

October 22, 2008 The “Taurus” is a futuristic bicycle concept from Julia Meyer which promises to keep kids fit through its seat-less design. The forward-leaning configuration means you stand on the bike in the optimum position for giving your leg muscles a solid workout as well as ensuring correct posture. Read More

Run while you ride on the elliptiGO bike

By Jude Garvey

17:55 September 25, 2008 PDT

The elliptiGO glide bike offers riders all the best elements of running and cycling in one machine. Whilst running is an excellent way to improve cardiovascular health and general fitness, many runners are plagued with back and leg injuries due to the high impact nature of the sport. Similarly, bike riders often suffer from shoulder and back injuries and saddle-soreness. When you ride the elliptiGO you use the same biomechanics of running but the impact is reduced and the upright position is a much more comfortable way to ride as well as providing greater visibility in traffic. Read More

Cy-Fi Bluetooth wireless sports speaker

By Noel McKeegan

00:25 September 11, 2008 PDT

There's nothing like strapping on the earphones and cranking up your favorite tunes to help you through a serious bout of exercise, but in many outdoor scenarios, especially cycling, this can become a major safety risk by preventing you from hearing traffic noise and other potential hazards that might not be visible. This is the thinking that inspired Los Angeles entrepreneur Jeff Lotman to invent the Cy-Fi Bluetooth wireless sports speaker, a palm-sized unit that attaches to a bike or backpack and wirelessly transmits music and phone calls from Bluetooth enabled devices. Read More

Nintendo's Wii Fit hits US stores

By Emily Clark

20:14 May 19, 2008 PDT

We've come a long way since VHS was the new kid on the block and sweating it out in front of Cindy Crawford’s “Buns of Steel” fitness training video was all the rage. As the next generation of technology-enhanced personal training, Nintendo has released Wii Fit, a “game” incorporating over 40 activities that challenge users in areas ranging from yoga and aerobics to strength training and balance. Read More

Strap-free heartrate monitor fits like a glove

By Loz Blain

July 12, 2007 Heart rate monitors have become an almost ubiquitous tool in fitness training, allowing athletes to ensure they're operating in the right BPM range to maximize the effectiveness of their cardio training or weight loss programs. The chest-strap used to take heart rate readings isn't universally popular though, as many find it uncomfortable and annoying. Adidas tried to solve this by building the sensor into a tight training shirt, NuMetrex built the sensor into a sports bra for women - and now Beurer has come up with a new system that fits as half a glove and reads heart rate from your index finger. The PM 100 beltless heartrate monitor uses photoplethysmography to determine your heart rate - it's effectively a flexible, soft equivalent of the plastic finger clip you get in hospital. While it won't be perfect for sportspeople that need to use their hands, those involved in running or other pure cardio exercise will likely find it a comfortable and no-fuss way to keep a constant tab on their heart rate. Read More

Developing a viable cure for office worker obesity

By Loz Blain

May 22, 2007 Sitting still at a desk all day - like you're probably doing right now - is making the average office worker fatter and less healthy than we've ever been before. Gym workouts and regular exercise are not the key to breaking out of this cycle - a new study suggests that it's the sitting down that's killing us, and that a simple change to spending 2-3 hours a day gently walking at around 1mph while we work could help obese office workers lose up to 30kg a year. Dr. James Levine devised the walk-at-work treadmill to test the effectiveness of getting office workers off their butts - with fantastic results. Read More