Integrating Smart Fitness Equipment in Gym Design

As gym design consultants, we monitor PROFESSIONAL gym equipment trends closely, and the shift to ‘smart machines', ‘smart sports equipment', and ‘smart gyms' is a big game-changer in the industry.

AI and IoT technology’s influence on fitness club equipment and smart gyms is here to stay. Smart home gyms are becoming increasingly popular due to their convenience and space-efficiency. These advancements allow smart gym equipment to simulate the experience of working with a personal trainer through features like live classes and real-time feedback, often at a fraction of the cost of a traditional gym membership. So, which gym brands are leading the switch to smart equipment?

What does the smart sports gym of the future look like for gym users performing weight training exercises or knocking out an interval session on an intelligent exercise bike in a virtual reality training space full of other (virtual) exercise bikes?

What about an endurance session on an innovative rowing machine in a high-tech personal training studio?

Read on to learn more about how Drax, Milon, Technogym, and Reaxing define the future of fitness.

Four Smart Home Gym Equipment Provider

Drax - smart gym equipment from South Korea

Drax - smart workout mirrors and [gym equipment](https://biofit.io/gym-equipment) from South Korea

DRAX is a South Korean company interested in recreating workout environments similar to those we might experience outside in nature. Their gym equipment range covers some of the best smart treadmills, bikes, ellipticals, climbers, free weights, and a wide range of weight machines.

The smart tech component in certain pieces of fitness machine automatically adjusts the treadmill speed and incline based on the visual workout displayed on the screen, creating a seamless experience that does not require the user to make these adjustments themselves.

This seamless experience allows users to engage in a full body workout without the need for manual adjustments.

As such, various DRAX treadmills, bikes, ellipticals, and strength machines have Android touchscreen consoles that can target different muscle groups; the brand also has its virtual trainer, which is built into the console too.

Similar to the Peloton Bike, DRAX equipment offers an immersive and community-driven fitness experience.

Users can mirror their device onto the display screen via either IOS or Android, making it suitable for both cardio and strength training in a home gym environment. Still, from our perspective as gym designers, DRAX looks to be a predominantly commercial gym brand.

This integration enhances the overall workout experience by providing real-time feedback and adjustments.

Additionally, DRAX offers accessories like a workout mat to complement their equipment and enhance the training experience.

For anyone concerned about security issues in giving control of their treadmill to a computer program (!), the DRAX treadmills have an automatic speed control system that senses the user’s position and stride length via force plate sensors embedded into the running deck and responsively adjusts the belt speed without the user having to touch any controls.

This is an example of Internet Of Things (IoT) technology in gym equipment coming from South Korea, a global hub in advanced technology, allowing physical objects such as gym equipment to be enhanced with sensors, processing ability, software, and other tech to add interactive functionality for the user’s comfort and benefit.

DRAXfit, meanwhile, is the brand’s proprietary innovative gym platform that takes a broader view of how tech can improve the gym user experience by integrating membership management and workout coaching into one. The digital fitness system is aimed at trainers and users to systematically manage workouts, recording data on each repetition and set and body transformation data points over time.

Finally, RUN BEAT is a hardware-software hybrid that provides a virtual running experience on a non-motorized DRAX FIT treadmill while displaying multiple avatars on screen, ideal for a competitive group fitness session!

As we integrate more and more advanced 3D gym design software into our design work too, the shift to a high-tech future is ever more real.

http://draxfit.com/en/

Milon Group - luxury smart gym equipment from germany

Milon is a premium gym equipment brand that was an early adopter of artificial intelligence and innovative technology in its machines, making it a reference point for any gym designer interested in the latest market trends.

An initial screening of the gym user produces a 3D avatar that performs the function of a coach, adjusting all the equipment to the user’s specific size, shape, strength, and so on. A strength test is required for this last data point.

All data is sent to the Milon CARE control software, allowing the equipment to be set to the user's physique. Users can select training objectives and goals to generate training plans that are automatically explicitly created for the user.

Milon’s high-tech gym equipment recognizes users as they approach and make any necessary adjustments for them. This can be especially effective in a circuit training or group fitness context, for example, with multiple users moving from one strength machine to another.

Typically, group fitness is done with free weights to allow each participant to select their difficulty level. Milon boldly proposes using a strength machine in group fitness, thanks to this additional tech component removing the otherwise inevitable changes in seat height, resistance, and so on in between rounds.

A Milon app ensures gym users can track their progress, review training statistics, and generally geek out on their data if they enjoy that kind of thing. The equipment also has a screen display for those who prefer not to look at their phone during a workout.

The Milon brand also partnered with another company called Five - a pioneer of modern fascia and mobility training - that produces a range of mobility training equipment made of wood and leather in the Black Forest in Germany.

https://milongroup.com/en/home

Biocircuit by Technogym luxury gym brand

Technogym is not always the first mover when launching new collections of premium gym equipment; as a luxury gym brand, it prefers to take its time and get it right before bringing a product to market. This reduces risk and ensures they do not tarnish their brand image with a less-than-perfect product that receives negative feedback.

We have seen this with their move into outdoor equipment for example and again we see it here with their Biocircuit concept that is based on a variety of different circuit training user types such as “start moving”, “lose weight”, “tone your body”, “stay young” and so on.

Circuit training gym users are encouraged to log in at a Biocircuit kiosk screen, and a trainer will associate their device with a program before the cardio and strength machines are adjusted to personal preferences and abilities.

Workouts are guided and users can start from any station and follow their workout, the equipment will adjust for them as they move from one station to the next. An app is available so you can track your workout and your progress.

Workout formats at the time of writing saw a 3”15 cardio block with 30-second transitions between each strength machine for 45-second rounds, for a total workout time of 22-30 minutes.

https://www.technogym.com/int/biocircuit-training/#no

Reaxing - luxury gym equipment Made In Italy

They may be a relative newcomer to the gym equipment manufacturer scene. Still, Reaxing is now firmly in the ‘Made In Italy luxury’ camp, along with Technogym and MyEquilibria outdoor fitness.

The Reaxing range of smart gym equipment integrates advanced tech to provide added unpredictability that looks closer to a real-world workout rather than the perfection of mechanized training sessions where every rep is precisely the same as the last.

A relaxing treadmill can deliver unexpected impulses, simulating what it would be like to run on a trail outdoors rather than an indoor treadmill in a luxury gym. The treadmill can simultaneously move up, down, and side to side, creating an uneven surface for users to adapt and adjust to intuitively.

Reaxing also has a training platform, which is essentially the same as the treadmill, except it isn't meant for running, merely making micro adjustments for balance and stability.

This patented technology focuses on reaction times, responsiveness, body awareness, balance, and stability, meaning we have elements of smart tech here and neuroactive training programs.

For example, we can imagine these machines in a premium physiotherapy studio or luxury wellness clinic.

https://reaxing.com/

Further Reading