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More muscle with the right glasses?
by Michael Restin
Exergaming, the training of the future
9.10.2019
Translation: machine translated
Diving into a virtual world and strengthening your muscles in real life sounds good. A study at the German Sport University Cologne investigated whether "exergaming" with the "Icaros" flying couch is really more than just fun.
It looks awkward. With VR goggles on your head, you're wedged stomach-first into a device that exudes the charm of a dentist's chair. Viewed through the goggles, it looks great. You fly through the air, glide through the water or race along a track. The external and internal perspectives could hardly be more contrasting in exergaming. The neologism made up of "exercise" and "gaming" stands for devices such as the "Icaros" in the picture above. They combine training and gaming. Instead of staring at the wall while lifting weights in the gym, you are in your own film and ideally ignore the fact that your tense muscles are starting to tremble.
The fact that our brains can be easily tricked with virtual images is demonstrated by a study suggests this: although the test subjects only saw a simple virtual representation of an arm and the room in which they were sitting in real life through their VR glasses, they were able to perform a static strength exercise for longer and felt less pain than subjects without VR glasses.
Researchers from the Institute for Movement Therapy, Movement-Oriented Prevention and Rehabilitation at the German Sport University Cologne have now scrutinised training with the "Icaros". In the device, you perform a forearm support and navigate by shifting your weight. In addition to core stability, you train various muscle groups of the upper body, according to the manufacturer. Reflexes, balance and coordination should also benefit. If this is too theoretical for you, you can try out the "Icaros" for yourself in the Media World at the Museum of Transport in Lucerne, for example.
The device is interesting for scientists because motivation is a key factor in prevention and rehabilitation and the playful approach can increase it. The aim of the study was to find out what effect the VR-based training system has on the test subjects' cardiovascular system and what potential there is for effective strength endurance training. In addition to measurable data such as heart rate, muscle activity and device movement, the subjective impressions of the test flyers were also surveyed.
Strenuous and pleasant at the same time
The neck, shoulder and back muscles of the test subjects were activated during their two five-minute "flights", which suggests that core strength training is possible with the Icaros. No effective training stimulus was detected for the other muscle groups. The heart rate of the test subjects also remained so low that the cardiovascular system is unlikely to benefit from it. Although the study participants found the exercise strenuous, they rated the experience as very pleasant for the most part.
The principle is fascinating and raises the scientists' hopes of motivating people who cannot be enticed off the sofa with traditional sports programmes. However, there are also suggestions for improvement: "Future whole-body concepts should focus on increasing dynamic muscle activation," study leader Dr Boris Feodoroff is quoted as saying in the press release. So far, there has been a lot of movement in the (virtual) game, but the real muscle work is mainly static.
Nevertheless, from a gamer's perspective, the game already has enough potential to get the heart racing. The multiplayer platform "Icarace" is something of a dream come true for anyone who was fascinated by the flight racing game "Starwing" on the Super Nintendo back in 1993. A quarter of a century later, a similar approach looks like the video below. The number of players has increased fivefold in the past year, Red Bull has joined in and the second world championship will be held in Munich on 11 October.
The sports industry is becoming more playful
While exergaming gadgets used to come from the video game sector, the fitness industry has now taken over. At the ISPO sports trade fair, I came across the Icaros, roller trainers with a gaming function and a rowing machine that beams you onto the Thames via a display. After all, we all want to have more fun. My virtual highlight so far is "Birdly", which is not designed as a piece of sports equipment, but also moves on all levels. You flap your wings like a bird, fly through a prehistoric world and completely forget that you are actually lying on the dissecting table like a flounder.
A brave new world?
So everything is better in the brave new exergaming world? Are we smiling as we fly to a new level of fitness? Not necessarily. The beautiful word cyber sickness symptoms hurts to read, but it is a real problem. The above-mentioned study participants had a hard time having fun: one in five test subjects had to cancel their flight due to nausea. Sometimes innovations simply make you vomit.
Michael Restin
Senior Editor
Michael.Restin@digitecgalaxus.chSimple writer and dad of two who likes to be on the move, wading through everyday family life. Juggling several balls, I'll occasionally drop one. It could be a ball, or a remark. Or both.
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