With modern technology and Internet expansion, people tend to spend more time at screens and move less, which influence well-being. We chat and hang out on social networks, watch shows and TV series, play computer and video games, and usually sit and don’t move. With the increased usage of computers, notebooks, mobile phones, smart TVs and other devices, our physical activity level decreases. The lack of physical activity may result in a number of health issues. And children also learn this inactivity pattern by watching their parents.
Promoting a healthy and active lifestyle may help address this problem. The startup’s idea is to turn the technology on its own and use high-tech devices as a motivational resource for fitness.
Most of the home appliances that constantly drag our attention and consume our time are connected to the Internet via Wi-Fi. If we could ration access to the Internet in exchange for doing exercises, we would change our habits and promote well-being. That’s become the core idea — to integrate a Wi-Fi router with training equipment, gather statistics over the training sessions from it, and to grant Internet connection only if a certain amount of physical activity is accumulated by a user. Inspiring people to do fitness at home and at work for their health and well-being, gamification of exercising activities by organizing competitions and boosting interest in doing sports is therefore the startup’s ultimate goal.
The startup required an IT partner experienced in R&D, embedded and web development to implement the idea. We’ve been chosen for being a software development company capable of creating firmware and mixing hardware and software into an integrated cloud-based solution.
The implementation of the pilot project started with the research and development stage. Our experts searched for the hardware that meets the startup requirements on the one hand. On the other hand, we looked for the microchips, controllers and hardware to develop firmware and software and integrate with each other. Also, the important limitation of the initial research was the cost of the ready product. We had to find a solution that would be affordable for target customers for home and office use to take care of their health and well-being.
The next stage was embedded software development. We’ve created firmware to control home training equipment and integrated it with a Wi-Fi router. The custom home training equipment allows an administrator to manage the applied force and configure the exertion for different users using the mobile or web administration panel.
Building a cloud-based solution with a mobile-first web interface was the last stage of developing the pilot project. Our team implemented the entire required functionality for users’ health and well-being. Every time a user takes exercises, he earns points and the device accumulates and transfers them to a cloud server. The server processes the users’ accrued points according to configurations of the users’ database. The Wi-Fi router integrated into the training equipment is managed by the cloud server and grants access to the Internet for users correspondingly if they have accumulated enough points on their balance.
An administrator can configure devices and manage users via a web interface. Also, the software aggregates statistics and generates various reports and charts. Users can see and track their achievements, points and scores. To motivate users for healthy behavior, there is a functionality for the organization of competitions, which might come in handy, especially in small and medium teams in an office environment.
The complex solution integrates fitness training equipment for health and well-being and a Wi-Fi router by means of custom firmware and software. It is a pilot project for a startup. The development undergoes within the strict requirements to the end-product cost and performance and in conditions of a limited budget.
The startup’s main goal is the promotion of well-being, motivation to healthy physical activity. To engage end-users in taking exercises, the product invokes the desire to play and compete. Gamification of healthy habits with points, scores and charts represented on the app’s dashboard and the possibility to organize competitions encourages people to use the solution.
The pilot project is intended for homes and offices and currently works with one type of home training equipment. The potential startup growth may be expected in the expansion of application areas and integration with more types of fitness equipment. Parks, gyms, public places may offer an integrated solution for granting Wi-Fi connection in exchange for the healthy behavior of the visitors.
The idea of the startup can be extended to more types of exercisers and areas of application.
High-performance software is developed under strict restrictions of hardware microchips processing capabilities.
Cost-effective devices affordable for home use were chosen for the startup’s pilot project.
The idea of the startup can be extended to more types of exercisers and areas of application.
High performative software is developed under strict restrictions of hardware microchips processor capabilities.
Cost-effective devices affordable for home usage were chosen for a startup’s pilot project.
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