Technology is all around us. Whether we realize the extent of it or not, it is part of our everyday lives. The digital age that we live in is constantly evolving with more and more smart products enhancing simple tasks and continually improving wider aspects of society with complex state-of-the-art innovation. The world of fitness is no stranger to tech with many apps and supportive measures used by millions of exercisers all over the globe. Gyms and fitness facilities themselves house proficient machinery with the ability to track and formulate individual data for personalized work-outs based on tailored intel. So what is the next step in fitness technology? We explore the idea of having a robot as a personal trainer…
Would it be possible?
Top gym equipment manufacturers such as Life Fitness and Technogym are no strangers to incorporating advanced technology in their designs and could well be innovators or even run a pilot scheme with a PT-robot if the day comes. Companies such as these provide interactive fitness programmes and even exercise classes on their cardio machines and can track client data for progression and regression monitoring as people work towards their goals.
Would it work?
In theory, there is no reason why an advanced robot with modern software and applications could not be programmed with a full fitness certification for them to provide expert tuition for clients. They would be a fountain of knowledge and could perhaps have novice, beginner, advanced and elite modes to be able to cater for individual needs. Without this, the danger would be the robot would be too overwhelming with its depth of facts and figures for someone just starting out on their fitness journey. On the other hand, it is possible that a robot PT may be programmed too basic for an experienced athlete with high-level goals so there would need to be some compromise on the formatting to fit consumer demand.
Is there a need for it?
You can look at it in different ways of course but there are multiple benefits of having a robot-PT over a human one, some of which include;
- Depth and accuracy of knowledge
- Favouritism can be avoided
- You can’t fall in love with or sleep with a robot
- A one-off payment or monthly fee for the robot would be more cost-effective for gyms
- It would be fact-based not opinion orientated like some trainers can be
- A robot would be less distracting than a human and would engage in general chit-chat
- A Robot-PT would never phone in sick nor cause reason for disciplinary which can save companies time and money.
- A Robot’s extensive capabilities could be used to reinforce gym rules, company policy, advertise products and upsell merchandise or membership upgrades.
- A robot could have timetables and calenders built into it so that a client could re-book more PT sessions or put their name down for a fitness class when in the robot’s company. This would reduce queues at reception and free up phones for the sales team to be able to contact more leads for conversion.