US’ Asensei and Virus International have launched a new line of smart apparel with Asensei motion capture technology to allow any Connected Fitness product to add form-tracking and real-time coaching. Asensei weaves motion capture into sports apparel and knowledge into software for fitness equipment, training apps and Connected Fitness products.
Any Connected Fitness product or app can offer form-tracking and real-time coaching to customers wearing apparel designed and manufactured by Virus with Asensei inside. Personalised coaching is now a must-have capability for apps and fitness products as companies like Tempo and Tonal add real-time form coaching, and leaders like Peloton and Nautilus acquire form-tracking technologies for forthcoming products, Asensei said in a press release.
It is no surprise that leading fitness companies are adding this capability. Around 55 per cent of customers buying fitness products have said they want coaching to help them improve. With Asensei SDK, adding 3D form-capture and coaching to connected fitness products and apps can be achieved by a brand’s developers in less than an hour.
Some of the most popular use-cases customers are seeking to implement with Connected Coaching powered by Asensei include onboarding lessons that teach beginner to advanced techniques that will appear in workouts; movement screens during warmups that allow adjustment to programming, and recommendation of supplemental strength and mobility exercises; accurate rep-counting of both simple and complex movement patterns; and giving real time feedback on form during practice, and observed areas for improvement post-practice.
“Until today, smart apparel has been developed by technology companies focused on function not fashion, but now, thanks to our partnership with Virus, we are giving consumers apparel that eliminates the choice between fashion and function, now they can have both. We have always believed that customers will want to work out in the brands of apparel they already love, wherever they want, with the fitness products and apps they already own,” Asensei CEO Steven Webster said in a statement.
“Since the beginning, our foundation has been innovation in apparel and bio-physical technology in our fabrics and products. We have always believed that the most high-performance gear should not only be for a select few, but that everyone should have access to equipment that helps them achieve their goals and elevates their performance. By partnering with Asensei to integrate their apparel technology into our gear, we can now elevate every athlete’s performance, at every level, in every sport. This is the next step of that same fabric-technology innovation that we have been exploring,” Russell Lin, CEO of Virus said.