An active lifestyle has become a trend. Though a lot of people still spend a major part of their time sitting in front of their computers, they start to integrate physical activities into their daily schedule in order to keep fit and healthy. And it is interesting to observe how modern technologies can transform the space and make fitness activities even more engaging and captivating to people.
Startups, fitness clubs, and sports organizations are continuously looking for new opportunities to offer more innovative experiences to users by integrating advanced technologies into their solutions for sports lovers and professional sportsmen.
And without any doubt, the launch of such a solution can create an additional capital inflow for businesses. It is expected that the revenue in the fitness apps market will hit the level of $19 billion in 2023.
In this article, we’d like to tell you about the use cases of such technology as IoT in Sports & Fitness segment and explain how you can apply it while building your own unique solutions that will be bound to win the hearts of users. If you want to know more HiTech content: Read the related article about How IoT and Artificial Intelligence Are Transforming the Fleet Management Industry?
1. Improved group exercising
The use of IoT technology can greatly enhance the quality and efficiency of group workouts. Such solutions allow people to get all the benefits of exercising in groups without the necessity to leave their apartments and houses. As you can guess, the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown measures became a strong booster for the demand for applications of this type. That’s why gyms started building such apps to make it possible for people to train in groups remotely and still continue virtually attending their gyms when they can’t do it physically.
So, how does it work? A number of users can do various exercises while staying at home. But there is one point that makes this process seriously different from traditional training at gyms as in this case people need to wear special wireless sensors. These sensors measure and send important data to trainers who need to track people’s progress and better adjust their training approaches to the needs of the group.
2. Facility and equipment management
Given the growing competition between gyms and sports facilities, it is crucial for them to make sure that they offer only fully reliable and high-quality serviceable fitness equipment. But it is not always possible to monitor the state of all fitness machines manually.
Nevertheless, the use of Smart Sensors attached to this equipment can fully change the situation as they can gather, accumulate, process, and analyze data in real time. As a result, they can let gym managers have access to comprehensive information and make well-informed decisions regarding the service maintenance of fitness machines.
Moreover, modern IoT solutions can enhance the quality of facility management. For example, smart devices can send notifications to staff when there is a need to bring new paper towels or when trash bins are full. At the same time, smart sensors can measure such parameters as air humidity, temperature, and lighting, and automatically keep them close to the set levels. Such tools can not only help to create the most comfortable conditions for clients but also optimize the use of resources.
3. Immersive experience
With connected smart devices enriched with VR features, people can feel fully immersed in a virtual space. And to get this experience they do not even need to leave their home.
For example, thanks to IoT apps powered by VR users can take part in cycling competitions while riding stationary bikes or participate in marathons in a virtual format while running on a treadmill.
Without any doubt, given this gamification element, such experiences can motivate people to train more in order to achieve better results.
4. Health and performance tracking
This possibility plays an important role not only for fitness lovers but also for professional athletes and their coaches. By wearing special devices equipped with sensors during training sessions, people can efficiently track their vitals, detect serious changes in them and find the relation between these changes and the increase in physical activity.
Accurate health state monitoring can have a very positive impact on the performance of athletes and even save their lives. Coaches can use the collected data for making decisions regarding athletes’ readiness to participate in competitions and choosing the best approaches to increasing the efficiency of training.
Related: Top Changes and Trends in IoT for 2023
Final Words
Probably it will be incorrect to say that IoT sports and fitness apps are already widely adopted all over the world. However, this process is going on. Step-by-step gyms and sports organizations launch their own solutions for clients, coaches, players, and athletes. The interest in such products from the side of users is growing which means that there is still enough space for new applications that will address the needs of some specific target groups.
If you are also considering an option to create such an app, we recommend you clearly detect the tasks that it will deal with. And based on your goals, you will be able to find the most suitable tools and technologies that will fully meet your requirements.
