The relationship between health and wellness and technology has grown exponentially over the years, from wearables to professional fitness equipment that connects you with trainers around the world à la Peloton or the “Mirror.”
These experiences left some fitness enthusiasts wanting; one such person was Charles Pearce, founder of Immersive Gym, a transformational environment platform that uses cutting-edge technology to create versatile and immersive augmented reality environments in gyms and fitness studios to optimize every fitness experience. Launched in December of 2019 in London, some may say that Pearce was ahead of the curve, but he says he was merely responding to a gap in the market.
“I’ve been working in the prime property sector for the majority of my career, and we saw technology being implemented into home cinemas and even saunas, spas and pools — but the home gym over the last 40 years has largely remained unchanged. Sure, you have equipment and mirrors and maybe a TV, but that hardly gets people excited or keeps them motivated about wellness as part of a daily routine.”
Key To Achieving Full Immersion
Pearce says the hours he logged on his bike while training for a charity ride pushed him to create something better. And Immersive Gyms was born. “Staring at a screen surrounded by my blank four walls, I couldn’t help but think ‘Wouldn’t it be great to be engaged in my environment and be immersed in the full field of view of the course as I rode?’”
Utilizing short-throw projectors is the key to the full immersive experience. The team at Immersive Gym works closely with integrator partners on the design of bespoke systems and specifying products that will deliver the best end result.
Immersive Gym is also an incredibly flexible solution from a content perspective. The system can be integrated with top fitness platforms such as Asana Rebel, Zwift, and Peloton, but the Immersive Gym team also creates custom content for clients. The world’s Olympic teams didn’t get to row the Tokyo Olympics rowing course last summer; Immersive Gym customers can do it virtually – from their own homes.
Integrator Connection
As Immersive Gym continued growing and developing, it was clear to Pearce that skilled integrators were the key to implementing this technology solution. Today, Immersive Gym is part of CEDIA’s Propel program, an affinity program designed to connect CEDIA members to new brands and products in emerging categories. CEDIA global members are the only group of integrators that have access to the Immersive Gym product in the residential channel. Additionally, Immersive Gym is offering a free rowing trainer to CEDIA members as an added value to their clients to promote the concept of connected content and exercise equipment.
“There was already a trend of fitness taking on a larger role in the home, and COVID was an accelerant. I think it provides an exciting opportunity: homeowners are looking for better solutions, and integrators are looking for new business opportunities that can leverage their current skill set.”
