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Outcome


Goal and Vision

To create an unobtrusive ecosystem of devices which enhances connectedness between gym participants and empowers gym management.

Design Process

Step 1: User Research

We visited gyms in the Pittsburgh area, ranging in usefulness and cost. We spoke to users of the gym and employees to develop insights which informed our ideation process.

Step 2: Create Object Inventories

We took inventories of the objects and devices in gyms to discover what opportunities existed. 

Step 3: Develop Ideation and System Mapping

We met as a team to discuss our individual ideas, develop criteria for narrowing down to the best idea, and we silently voted on our favorite ecosystem concept. 

Step 4: Creation 

We created a video scenario, and five prototypes, a dumbbell, barbell, mirror, wristband, and locker that were connected.

Step 5: Test

We tested the connected devices to make sure they all synced and worked with the desired scenario.

Prototyped Solutions

Our prototyped solutions build a community within the gym infrastructure. These devices help facilitate sharing knowledge between beginners and advanced gym members. These devices also improve a gym member’s workout through notifications of which machines are free and by tracking sets and reps, this helps increase efficiency of the gym equipment usage, and can help administration schedule equipment maintenance.

These connected devices include: a wristband, a dumbbell, a barbell, a mirror, and a locker. 

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The Connected Mirror

The iPads that display information in the Magic Mirror are displaying information through their web browsers. The browsers are loading up webpages that respond in real-time to events sent from the Photons. Since the Photons cannot connect directly to the iPads, events are routed through an intermediary system built on our web server. PHP, JS/jQuery, and Server Sent Events (SSE) are the core technologies used. When an event is fired from a photon, the following sequence is executed:

1 - A Photon pings the command file on our web server using a GET request. Data is passed via URL parameters. This is our makeshift API.

2 - The command file interprets the Photon's request and records the passed data to a static text file. This is our makeshift database.

3 - A special data stream script is set up to watch the data file. If it notices any changes, it will broadcast the new data out to any listening web clients.

4 - The iPads receive the data and respond by updating what they show on their screens.
We chose SSE over Websockets because we did not need bidirectional communication. We chose SSE over AJAX polling because we wanted faster response times and a reduced server load.  

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The Connected Locker

The Connected Locker is the starting point at the gym. Traditional lockers are generally not safe and the emotional attachment between the user and the object is very low. By allowing the user to open the locker with the Connected Wristband and reminding the user where the locker is, we empower the user to enhance the locker experience for the moment they are using the gym.  

Once the user opens the Connected Locker with the Connected Wristband, it sends a notification alerting the user of his locker number. This gives the user an increased sense of security because he'll now be alerted when the locker is accessed by anyone else. Furthermore, throughout the workout session, the user can check his locker number by tapping any of the mirrors in the gym. This saves him from losing his locker, which ties back to the increased sense of security.

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The Connected Barbell

The user activates the Connected Barbell via the Connected Wristband. This activation sends an event to the Magic Mirror, which provides a welcome message. A set and rep count then display and increment as the user completes their routine . Once the routine is complete, the Connected Barbell deactivates and the user moves on. The Magic Mirror then displays machine availability. With the Connected Barbell, the user no longer needs to use rudimentary recording methods like pencil and paper to track their fitness goals and workout progress.

This device uses a Hall Effect sensor to replicate RFID tracking via the Connected Wristband. Using a Hall Effect sensor allowed us to place a magnet in the wristband to mimic user identification. To increment reps and sets, the device then uses an ultrasonic rangefinder. The ultrasonic rangefinder readings are continuously captured and two sets of rolling averages are maintained and compared. Differences between the two sets indicate that the direction of motion of the barbell has reversed indicating the completion of a set. Activation occurs when the user lifts the barbell upward, prompting an event that increments reps and displays those reps through the Magic Mirror device. 

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The Connected Dumbbell

The user activates the Connected Dumbbell via the Connected Wristband. This activation sends an event to the Magic Mirror, which provides a welcome message. A set and rep count then display and increment as the user completes their routine . Once the routine is complete, the Connected Dumbbell deactivates and the user moves on. The Magic Mirror then displays machine availability. With the Connected Dumbbell, the user no longer needs to use rudimentary recording methods like pencil and paper to track their fitness goals and workout progress. 

This device uses a Hall Effect sensor to replicate RFID tracking via the Connected Wristband. Using a Hall Effect sensor allowed us to place a magnet in the wristband to mimic user identification. To increment reps and sets, the device then uses a tilt sensor. Activation occurs when the user curls the dumbbell upward, prompting an event that increments reps and displays those reps through the Magic Mirror device. 

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Personal Wristband

To replicate the experience of a personal wearable device, we utilized a simple foam core model containing a rare earth magnet to trigger the hall effect sensors embedded in each of our proty

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Reflections and Next Steps

After much ideation and iteration we have discovered that in any connected gym solution, it is important to account for many different stakeholders. Through out process we were very focused on the experience of the gym-goer, and making that experience as seamless as possible. Now that we have prototyped the gym-goer solutions and it is time to test the devices with gym members for user feedback. Additionally, we realize that the solution would require a data scientist team for the solution to effectively be implemented and be of high value to the gym. We realize that some gyms might find this doable and some might not. In the future we would like to develop concepts that would be easier for a gym to adopt without heavy data analysts and scientists working on algorithms to bring meaning. 

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