Blync puts indoor cyclists in VR worlds
Decrease fat, increase heart health, boost muscle endurance, and a steady stream of endorphins.
Thus, though it is a great form of exercise, the same routine in a scheduled corner of your home, makes it monotonous, rudimentary, compulsive, and often, mentally sedentary. Kinbona Limited’s Blync is designed to help, by using virtual reality tech to make indoor cycling more engaging.
Be it inclement weather or intriguing work schedule, the restriction of biking outdoors is more than well compensated with a third-party stationary trainer and a third-party VR headset … oh yes, and a third-party bike!! The Blync system consists of a VR app, a speed sensor that is mounted on the bike’s rear-wheel hub, and a turntable-like Path Sensor that lies on the floor, cradling the underside of the front wheel.
The user can choose and select at random, a virtual road or a trail, and starts peddalling. The built-in wheel speed sensor detects and determines the speed at which the cycle moves in the VR environment. The bike’s real-life handlebars, if turned by the rider, detects that movement by the Path Sensor, resulting in a corresponding turn within the VR world. The distance traveled in the VR environment and the calories burnt can also be tracked and recorded.
Given that The users can switch between the FPV (first-person view) mode in the virtual reality system and third-person view modes, in case they feel wobbly, unsteady and light-headed. The rider also has the option of viewing a 2D display of the virtual environment on their computer screen instead of using a VR headset. As an add on, the rider can seek the company virtual riders and engage in online “group rides” with other Blync users in different locations, just in case the rider feels deserted or the whiteness of the uninhabited virtual world takes a toll on his mind.
Blync will recall in mind the existing Zwift system to many readers of this article. though that setup is mostly limited to 2D computer screen displays, and turning isn’t possible on all of the virtual roads and trails where Blynk adds and improvises on these features.
Blync is currently the subject of a Kickstarter campaign. A pledge of CAD$99 (about US$74) will get you a system, when and if they reach production.
In case you are really interested and want to get a hand on this amazing device, created by Canadian hardware/software designer Izuchukwu Okongwu, you can have a sneak peak on the videos available on the net, for the setup.
Product Page: Blync
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