OculusVR Brings Exercising to the Next Level

Here’s a process we know well - put on unflattering athletic clothes. Drive several minutes to a gym. Realize you forgot your water bottle. Work out anyway. Rush back for bizarre home-blended “recovery drinks.”

There’s a reason why 25 million Americans now have a home gym. Leaving the house can be an unattractive prospect, especially when this involves public physical exertion  If you’re like me, you’ve sworn off gyms. The idea of running or biking and going nowhere is depressing.

The Concept:

Activetainment hopes to change that with the Ebove™ B\01 VR bike. Daily mountain biking is a distinct possibility. It is a truly non-stationary bike, pitching and yawing like you’re piloting your own calorie-burning plane of the future.

The Tech:

In order to properly experience the forces on your body on a bicycle, you would have to mimic the centrifugal force, for which the B\01 employs a spring-like system that pushes back as you lean into a turn.

The actuating brakes, shifting gears, and moveable handlebars are unprecedented here, unlike in otherwise boring exercise machines, but the real ground-breaking feature is its VR support.

The bike is complemented by Oculus Rift DK2 VR, specifically the mountain biking game MTB Freeride, that focuses on accurate riding physics.

Likelihood of Success: Almost There

Weather, wind, and slippery slopes all play a factor in making a believable biking experience. Much can be said about feeling the wind in your hair, and this type of sensory information that is missing with the B\01 bike.

Improving the immersion should only take a few adjustments, and Activetainment even has a rowing machine and treadmill employing similar concepts. Which raises the question..

When does virtual reality become reality?