Networked Exercise Devices with Dynamic Difficulty Adjustment
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing exercise devices lack the ability to provide a shared virtual training experience that leverages adjustable difficulty settings and real-time collaboration or competition, leading to isolated workouts that do not maximize performance potential.
Innovation Solution
A networked system of exercise devices with touch screens displaying avatars representing users, allowing for dynamic adjustment of difficulty based on collective performance, featuring virtual trainers, peer interactions, AI-driven adjustments, and pre-set programs for shared virtual exercise sessions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If exercise devices operate independently with fixed difficulty settings, then each user can control their own workout, but the user cannot know if the exercise session is at the appropriate level of difficulty and exercising by oneself can be an isolating experience
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic difficulty adjustment where the resistance level automatically changes based on real-time performance metrics. The system monitors user performance and dynamically modifies the exercise parameters to maintain optimal challenge level, transforming a static system into a adaptive one that responds to user capabilities.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates feedback mechanisms where performance data from users is continuously monitored and used to adjust difficulty settings. The display shows real-time performance information and virtual representations of users progressing through courses, providing feedback that helps users understand their relative performance and motivates them to maintain appropriate difficulty levels.
2Adaptability or versatility
If users exercise alone with self-controlled resistance, then users have autonomy over their workout, but the isolating experience does not maximize performance that can arise from competition or collaboration with others
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple independent exercise devices into a networked system where users can collaborate or compete together. The system combines individual workouts into a shared virtual environment where users are represented by avatars on a common display, enabling social interaction and collective goal achievement while maintaining individual autonomy.
Solution Approach 2:
The system provides multiple exercise modes including solo training, collaborative group workouts, and competitive challenges. The same hardware infrastructure supports various social interaction types, making the system universally applicable to different user needs and preferences without requiring separate equipment for each mode.
3Loss of information
If the system displays detailed real-time performance data and virtual representations, then users can monitor their progress and competition status, but the display complexity and processing requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system creates virtual representations (avatars) of users that simplify the display of complex performance data. Instead of showing raw numerical metrics for each user, the system uses visual avatars that intuitively represent performance levels through their position and movement on the virtual course, making performance information accessible and engaging without overwhelming users with detailed data.
Data Source
AI summary
A system having networked exercise devices that can have a shared virtual exercise session for training, collaboration or competition. The exercise devices each have adjustable difficulty setting and a touch screen for displaying different virtual exercise sessions. The touch screen can display a representation, such as one or more avatars, that represent users of the exercise devices, and that have a virtual speed in proportion to exercise performance on the exercise devices. Dynamic adjustment can be made based on the collective performance of the exercise devices, to cause a same adjustment to a respective current difficulty setting of at least one, two or more exercise devices during the shared virtual exercise session. Virtual training can be provided by way of a chaser animation that chases the representation of the exercise devices, the chaser animation having a virtual speed in dependence of exercise performance of users of the exercise devices.