Light, shadow and a strange damage: Reaction training with the RoxPro
24.2.2023
Translation: machine translated
Train your reaction speed with the RoxPro from A-Champs. The glowing PODs challenge your body and brain - for example, when it comes to finding the explanation for a strange defect.
They are made from jet fighter material. According to the website, they can withstand practically any kind of abuse. They are broken, we realise when we take them out of their packaging. Three out of six devices have broken screws made of Jet Fighter material plastic. The battery compartment isn't holding, so they won't turn on. We, that's me and Pascale Gränicher, an athlete and physiotherapist, who is also interested in the RoxPro and has experience with similar devices. Firstly, I'm glad that I have her as a witness. Because the claim and reality have never been so far apart with any product I have tried. This is not a test set that has already passed through a number of hands. I ordered it internally and it would have ended up with you as a customer in exactly the same way.
A more than annoying defect that would make it difficult for me to prove that I hadn't thrown it against the nearest wall. And even then, someone could come along and say: "Look, on YouTube they even drive over it with their car and the device stays intact." There are no reports from fellow sufferers on the net. No complaints about this vulnerability.
What does this mean for our test? First of all, I want to find out whether there is an explanation for the failure and whether I will be helped. As much as I trust our customer service - complaining to Galaxus is pointless with a test product ordered internally. If I were to enquire with the supplier via my colleagues' contacts, I would be sure of preferential treatment. "Hello, I'm testing your product and it's broken" - that rings alarm bells.
Instead, I write directly to the manufacturer from a private email address, describe the case and send a photo of the broken cover. How can this be, does it happen more often? What do you think and are spare parts available? I remain friendly and point out that I did not order the product directly from the company's website. I also express my concern that there could be problems with the return. I don't ask for anything except an explanation and some information. And it's not my intention to pick on the product. Mistakes can happen - what matters is how they are dealt with. More on that later. For now, it's about how blinking PODs that react to touch and movement can be useful in training and how the three working RoxPro and the three makeshift glued-together PODs perform.
For now, it's all about how blinking PODs that react to touch and movement can be useful in training.
What's the point?
To get things started, I would like to know from Pascale when she first encountered this form of training. "We had it ten to 15 years ago in athletics training and at sports school," recalls the former Swiss 400 metre champion. "There were four boxes that lit up in a certain order and had to be tagged." The principle is simple, yet versatile. "For a few years now, this has also been used in physio practice."
Reacting quickly to signals and acting accordingly challenges athletes in different ways. "There are different variants: Either the sensors light up in certain patterns and you have to react to them with a touch to switch them off. Or they measure how often a touch occurs." Errors in decision-making can also be measured. For example, if green means "hit" and red means "don't hit", you can then see in the statistics how often you reacted incorrectly.
This allows new stimuli to be set not only in game sports, but in practically every discipline. "In rehab, you can work on the reactive level and incorporate changes of direction much more naturally," says Pascale, who also carries out sports motor tests with children and from whom I now want to know what is important to her when using such devices.
"The battery should last and both the connection and the sensors themselves must be stable," she adds and I am curious to see whether the RoxPro can still score points after the initial disappointment in the test. Up to 24 of these sensors can be connected to the smartphone, the range is 40 metres and the battery life is specified as up to seven hours. The sensors are charged inductively and directly in their well-padded carrying case; all you have to do is insert a plug and wait until they all light up green again.
"Charging via the case works well," says Pascale. Her other criteria: "You need to measure correctly when it comes to assessments, for example. That's not quite as important in rehab, but of course we want to monitor developments there too." In addition to hard facts, there are also soft factors that speak in favour of such technical aids: "In training, the playful aspect is casual, it's something different for a change. This is an advantage with many digital devices, they provide external stimuli and variety, which increases motivation." And they increase the demands when it comes to reaction time, peripheral vision, pre-orientation and speed of action.
Connect and get started
Of course, an app is central to getting the RoxPro ready for use and configuring it for exercises. "Connecting the sensors is not easy, as it took a long time for them to be recognised," is Pascale's first impression.
I also wondered at first why you have to keep your hand on the power button on the side for a few seconds until the devices are ready to pair. But on this point, I am convinced by the explanation that devices that are regularly hit and kicked should not switch on or off with every nudge. After a few attempts, the procedure becomes routine: put your hand on it, wait for the vibration and light signal, stroke or tap it and - pling! - the connection is established. The sensors can only be switched off via the app or they switch themselves off after a definable period of time if they are no longer being used.
"When they are connected, they light up cheerfully," says Pascale. Colours and intensity can be adjusted. She can also use the app to specify whether the RoxPro should also emit sounds. There is a large selection of training programmes that can be filtered by topic or type of sport. There is also an analysis corner that documents your progress and a local and global leaderboard to compare your performance with others. Pascale is also interested in the option to put together your own training programme with different tasks. "It's not entirely intuitive, you keep coming back to the start page and going round in circles," she says. "You can select the number of RoxPro, the contact tone, the light strength, frequency and intensity as well as the start signal. Unfortunately, there is no option to switch off the light. This means that some form of rhythm is always set."
Other than that, the possibilities are many and varied. A balancing function that takes the room position into account can also be activated. You can group the RoxPro depending on how many you need for the exercise in question. You can set whether the surface is hard or soft and how sensitively they should react. "It makes a big difference whether you really have to hit it with the palm of your hand or whether a touch with your finger is enough," says Pascale. "If coordination under precision pressure is the goal, it's good if they don't react too sensitively. Then you have to hit them precisely. If, on the other hand, it's about fast reactions when running, this makes little sense - it's not the precision of the hand that is measured, but the speed of the legs."
The RoxPro can be targets that have to be hit by hand or foot, or form paired goals that are only active when a certain light signal is given. The RebounderGO is also available from A-Champs - a small board that can be used in combination with the RoxPro for a variety of football training exercises. A solution that is almost inexpensive compared with other systems.
No matter what sport you do and what your goals are: from boxing training and time measurements to memory games with colour sequences, the possible uses are practically unlimited. "Strength training makes it a bit more playful," says Pascale and demonstrates a possible application. "Most people don't really enjoy doing trunk training, for example, so extrinsic motivation helps."
So that the RoxPro can be used for more than just lying on the floor, straps are supplied. This allows the sensors to be attached to a tree, punching bag or wall bars, for example. "The sensor is wrapped in a kind of rubber sleeve and a strap is threaded through it," explains Pascale. "However, this is a bit of a fiddle and the wobbly rubber sleeve doesn't really wrap around the RoxPro snugly."
Who needs it?
The training principle is fun and, in theory, the RoxPro can be used anywhere. For workouts at home, in physiotherapy, training with children or senior citizens, in combat, strength and play sports. The price will probably appeal more to people who are at least semi-professionally involved in sport. Regardless of whether they teach or train. Of course, there are also cheaper alternatives. For example, the BlazePod set that Yann Sommer (here to the scene) trains with in this documentary. When he's not singing, playing guitar or otherwise coming across as likeable.
However, only the purchase price is significantly cheaper here. To use the full range of functions, a plan is required at a price of €14.99 per month (as of February 2023). There are no such follow-up costs with A-Champs. But there is a more expensive model: the A-Champs RoxProX can also display letters and symbols or serve as a light barrier.
Whatever price range you are interested in for this or similar products: take a close look at the specifications. One advantage of the RoxPro is that you can group them freely and use a number of your choice per exercise. This is not the case with all manufacturers: "With other sensors, for example, I couldn't use just two," says Pascale. The RoxPro also fulfils another important criterion. "They react sensitively to contact, even if you only tap them lightly or don't touch the entire surface." We didn't even remove all the stickers from the touch zones of the PODs. However, one impression remains: Three out of six were broken. How does the manufacturer react?
The reaction
The night after I emailed the manufacturer, I received a reply. It was friendly, they apologised, asked where I had bought the product and referred to the current warranty, under which the defective product would be repaired and replaced. My question about similar problems and commercially available spare parts is not answered at first. I probe a little further and write that my first impression doesn't quite match the claim about how stable the material is. It would also be important for me to be able to buy new batteries after the warranty expires. I also want to know whether AA batteries, which would also fit, are an alternative. The answer comes quickly again. They now offer to send me replacement batteries, which will also be available in the future. AA batteries should not be used. They are also interested in how I use the RoxPro and promise to check the material used again. Thumbs up for customer service. Mistakes can happen - the important thing is how they are dealt with.
The conclusion
Respect for reading this far. A four-figure price tag and three broken battery compartments to start with - you might think thanks, but no thanks. However, I don't think that does the product justice. If this problem occurred frequently, the web would be full of complaints and the brand would probably have disappeared from the market long ago. In any case, the response was good. And reaction training is also good. The market for such products is growing and you can find them in various price ranges and set sizes. Even in the toy range.
As I said, take a close look at what best meets your requirements and whether the product of your choice is associated with follow-up costs. As far as the (working) RoxPro is concerned, they respond reliably and provide feedback through light, sound and vibration. The range of workouts in the app is versatile, can be filtered by time or fitness level, contains offers for families, seniors, numerous sports, and, and, and. You are also free to save your own workouts and have many configuration options.
The question is what you make of it and whether you need a set of six RoxPro. As a trainer, I would answer the question in the affirmative, as a private individual in the negative. Ultimately, the purchase decision is like the training with the sensors: you have to know for yourself if and when you should buy one. <p
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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