Black Box VR Aims to Create Gym of the Future
The Founder of XDA's MobileVR partner IonVR has partnered with BlackBox VR to create a cutting edge VR centered Gym experience.
As the virtual reality industry booms, companies are creating ever more innovative ideas for its use, so it is no surprise that eventually it would be coupled with ever-popular fitness technology. Black Box VR, co-founded by the creator of Bodybuilding.com, is looking to develop the world’s first virtual reality gym experience. In their gyms, exercise takes on new meaning as you will immerse yourself in a new way to get fit. In Black Box VR’s words:
“You aren’t working out. You are saving the city. Or solving a mystery. Or finding the treasure. You are inside your own movie and as you reach out to pull that rope or lift the handles on the block, you’ll really feel them there. Functional fitness in a fictional world. Every Black Box VR gym not only includes the keystone Black Box experience, but multiple rooms showcasing the latest in VR fitness gear for members to use and benefit from, including cardio machines like treadmills and spin bikes as well as room scale group classes.”
This is not the first
time a company has aimed to bring AR/VR and fitness together. Apps such as Zombies,
Run! bring a story to your exercise regime
but Black Box VR aims to go a step further by bringing a full VR experience to
physical gyms, each with a wide range of equipment and classes tailored to make
exercise enjoyable. To start, these gyms will open in Manhattan and Beverly
Hills, and will move on from there. Other gym chains will be offered licensing
opportunities in order to expand quickly and franchises will offered to
those who wish to open their own gyms.
To bring their innovative VR experience to fitness, Black Box VR has joined forces with the founder of XDA’s Mobile VR partner IonVR. The aim is to improve all aspects of your health and fitness through three (3) 40 minute exercises per week utilising a variety of scenarios. As an example, they present the application of resistance training whereby electronic cable systems will be integrated into a game. As you reach out in VR to lift an object or pull a rope you will touch the system in real life and lift/pull with the same resistance. A companion app will be offered to members featuring a simple scheduler, goal, and progress tracking with the VR experience tracking every detail of your workout which will allow you to ensure you continue to improve and allowing the VR system to adapt and change to your fitness levels.