People know that exercise is good for health, however, not everyone enjoys exercising. Organised by the Creative Economy Agency (CEA), the exhibition "Boost/Play/Measure: BPM" presents information as well as creative technology designed to enhance and support the fitness and sports industry. Innovative fitness devices and platforms can help people enjoy exercising more.
During the exhibition opening, Chakrit Pichyangkul, the executive director of CEA, said that "Boost/Play/Measure: BPM" showcases the trend of healthcare in today's digital age through creative technology.
"The exhibition aims to pass on creative ideas applied to new technologies for healthcare. These innovations will create opportunities and expand businesses in sports tech and health tech in the future," said Chakrit.
Gyro Ball players wear a VR headset which allows them to see a fishing area.
Located in the Gallery Room on the 1st floor of the Thailand Creative & Design Center, the exhibition is divided into four zones: Boost, Play, Measure and Challenge. The first zone, Boost, features a polling section where visitors can select answers to the question, what is your motivation for exercising? The answers include physical fitness, weight loss, stress reduction, social interaction, competition and achieving goals.
The second zone, Play, is an exhibition highlight which showcases gamification. Phanuphan Veeravaphusit, senior knowledge management officer of CEA and the exhibition curator, explained that gamification involves integrating game mechanics into non-game contexts to encourage participants to interact.
"A young generation of designers and developers incorporated gamification into activities, making participants feel as if they are playing games. Gamification, including attachable fitness trackers such as smartwatches and chest straps, as well as virtual reality and augmented reality, offers enjoyment, challenges and new experiences to participants," said Phanuphan.
The exhibition informs visitors that a smartwatch serves as a personal assistant aside from telling time. It has the ability to store exercise data and monitor the owner's physical condition. A chest strap can accurately measure heart rate and be used in conjunction with a smartwatch or an application which reports exercise results.
Zwift is a virtual training app for running and cycling which allows multiple players to participate.
Next to smartwatches and chest straps, the exhibition explains that VR and AR technology are used in sports and fitness industries to simulate scenarios and locations, creating immersive experiences which excite and entertain participants through virtual worlds.
An example of a virtual technology app is Zombie, Run. After downloading Zombie, Run on a phone and enabling GPS to record running distance, runners have to put on their earphones to listen to an audio guide which describes their situation in a post-apocalyptic world. The voice will encourage runners to move forward and run away from zombies in their imagination. The app includes challenging missions and collecting items necessary for survival. This may sound odd to some people, but for many runners, the app works well.
During Covid-19 pandemic lockdowns, gyms were closed and people had to exercise at home. The situation inspired developers to create technology which allows people to work out in limited spaces.
Blazepod is a fitness equipment brand which serves as an example of personalised training and adaptive technology. It offers an innovative light-based kit which can be used for flash reflex training, benefitting athletes and others who need to enhance their physical strength. The pods can be placed on various surfaces, allowing users to interact with them and enhance their training experience.
Soccer LED Floor resembles a small football field.
According to a representative of Blazepod, a kit costs more than 10,000 baht. In addition to training athletes, this fitness equipment is used in hospitals as physical therapy for elder patients, as well as in schools for early childhood physical development.
Exercising alone can be boring, so some technologies connect people through a single app. Zwift is a virtual training app for running and cycling which allows a multiplayer mode. However, this kind of technology requires several devices aside from the application itself, such as speed sensors, a monitor and ANT+ (multicast wireless sensor network technology). Zwift has created a global community, enabling participants to communicate and compete with people all over the world.
Another gamification project is Soccer LED Floor which received significant attention from visitors. The space exhibit for Soccer LED Floor resembles a small football field. The LED floor, in conjunction with sensors, generates challenges by requiring players to kick a ball into a target. Players seem to enjoy it more when they have to compete with each other.
The third zone, Measure, reveals personal information data that is collected by microsensors such as temperature sensors, optical heart rate sensors and gyroscopes (sensors that detect motion and vibration by measuring changes in velocity and position).
Chakrit Pichyangkul, executive director of the CEA.
The final zone, Challenge, provides information about the possibility of expanding innovative design in Thailand's sports and fitness industries. The exhibition showcases prototypes of four health tech projects from Thai creators and developers. These projects are the results of collaboration between CEA and FabCafe Bangkok. The four projects are Lakhon Chatri, Gyro Ball, P.A.W. and Pao Fire.
Lakhon Chatri draws inspiration from a Thai traditional dance with the same name which is hardly known today. To use Lakhon Chatri, a player wears a glove which acts as a controller. Players must move their hands to mimic traditional poses of the dance as displayed on a monitor. The movements are similar to exercising and stretching the hands.
Gyro Ball focuses on wrist exercises. A player has to wear a VR headset which allows them to see a virtual image of a fishing area. Then, the player has to hold the Gyro Ball and move it as if it were a fishing rod.
P.A.W. was designed for lazy people to exercise in their beds. A player has to wear controllers which resemble cat paws which can be put on their hands or feet. Then, they must put on a VR headset. When a pink ball appears on the screen, the player needs to bounce the ball and continue to bounce it. In this way, the player will be exercising their arms and legs as well as stomach.
CEA senior knowledge management officer Phanuphan Veeravaphusit.
Pao Fire was inspired to assist patients with neuromuscular disorders, who require exercises for lungs. While exercising their lungs, the patients feel exhausted in the same way that people feel after running a long distance. To help patients find the lung exercises more enjoyable, Pao Fire was created. One piece of equipment in Pao Fire is a "party horn", which is a yellow plastic tube. This party horn is connected to a game on a monitor screen. In the game, players must blow fire at chickens which run across the screen from left, right and centre every six seconds.
Phanuphan said the exhibition aims to attract two groups -- people who are interested in exercise and who want to have new exercise experiences; and designers/developers since the exhibition reveals the workings of gamification and equipment.
"Exercise can be dull for some people, but nowadays, we have a variety of fitness and sports equipment that makes exercising enjoyable, and we can work out in the comfort of our home. I believe more people are interested in exercise not only for their health and physical benefits but also for their image and in order to stay in the trend. The new generation seeks more enjoyment and new experiences while working out," said Phanuphan.
"Boost/Play/Measure: BPM" runs at the Gallery Room on the 1st floor, Thailand Creative & Design Center, until Sept 24. Admission is free. For more information, visit facebook.com/tcdc.thailand.
