From IEOR 170 Spring 2007

[edit] Virtual Personal Trainer

[edit] Background

Figure 1. The Yourself!Fitness program for the Xbox

A fitness routine can be a burden due to lack of time or lack of encouragement. People often hire personal trainers, chefs, etc. to help them achieve their fitness goals. These services are expensive and can only be used by the highest percentile of those who exercise.

Several entertainment systems such as the Xbox have introduced personal training programs where users can enter information about their bodies and their fitness goals. For example, the Yourself!Fitness training program then creates a customized workout for the user, and will guide the user through yoga, Pilates, cardio fitness, strength training, etc. The system can be used in conjunction with fitness equipment that the user already owns.

However, the system fails to take into account that some users may not want to purchase an item as expensive as the Xbox. Additionally, the system cannot detect whether or not the user has actually completed their exercises. In the more controlled exercises such as Pilates, the program cannot provide feedback to help users move to the correct positions. Furthermore, the system can only be used indoors.

[edit] Proposed Solution

Figure 2. Proposed Virtual Training System

The proposed solution is a virtual training system. Like Yourself!Fitness, the virtual training system allows users to enter in physiological data to create a custom user fitness routine. In contrast to Yourself!Fitness, the system consists of sensors that can be placed on the wrists and ankles and a data recorder/program interface. The sensors can measure a variety of values such as the user’s velocity, the user’s heart rate, and the sensor’s change in height and displacement. This data is transmitted to data recorder. The data recorder takes the data and analyzes how effectively the user is exercising based on the physiological data entered by the user.

As an example, suppose the workout is a run down the street. After entering physiological data, the user begins to run. After a minute, the user may have reached a comfortable speed for the duration of their workout. The system will speak to the user through the interface: “Hello! You will have a great run today. Currently you are running at a speed of 4 mph. If you run for 30 minutes, you will burn 150 calories. Do you want to run at this speed?” If the user says no, the interface will say, “How fast do you want to run?” The user can then say, “I would like to run at 3 mph.” The interface can adjust its feedback to encourage the user to continue at the pace of 3 mph. The system provides the user with positive encouragement and with feedback. During the run the system says: “You’re doing great! Keep going!” or “Excellent! If you run 1 more mph, you can burn 200 calories. Do you want to try this?” The user can respond by voice or by pressing a button.

The advantage of this system is that it can be used outside. The system is lightweight and portable, and therefore is great for the traveling user. The system’s ability to track the user’s progress from workout to workout may also help users to stick to their fitness routines.

The system also allows users to upgrade and adapt their devices. For example, some models may come with the ability to download GPS, topographical, and weather data so that the system can provide specific routes and more accurate estimates of the impact of the workout on the body. The system can also be used in conjunction with inexpensive indoor software that can allow the users to practice yoga or Pilates with the assistance of the virtual trainer.

The typical user of this system will be a female between 18-35 years old. She will be comfortable with incorporating technology into her daily routine. The user is a woman who has a somewhat erratic schedule and does not have regularly scheduled daily workouts, such as a student or a business traveler. When planning her fitness schedule on her own, she does not feel that she has the time to go to the gym, often becomes discouraged, and gives up on staying in shape. The system will help these users to have an experience similar to having a personal trainer that travels around with them, can be used at any time of the day, and keeps track of their progress.