FitXR: AI and better tracking should improve VR fitness training

Image: FitXR

Virtual reality fitness is booming relative to the growth of the VR market as a whole. FitXR CEO Sam Cole believes that AI and better tracking will soon make VR fitness training more efficient.

For FitXR CEO Sam Cole, virtual training is only just beginning and will soon become even more efficient with the integration of wearables, artificial intelligence and new VR headsets.

Fitness studios have experienced an enormous boom in the last twenty years. Then came the pandemic, prompting millions of people to cancel their fitness subscriptions. Lockdowns and home office jobs changed everyday life and virtual reality fitness apps boomed.

VR fitness benefits from changing habits

“You used to have your home, your office and your gym. The degree of separation between these different physical environments was often very important to people,” says Cole. “I think with the pandemic, people started merging home and work, and then people also started merging home, work and the gym.”

FitXR offers virtual fitness classes where you can do boxing, dance, or HIIT. | Image: FitXR

Sam Cole is CEO and Founder of FitXR. In 2016, he and his team released BoxVR, the first VR game designed from the ground up as a fitness app. In a virtual environment, users could complete workouts created by real fitness trainers in virtual reality.

With the pandemic, the fitness app business started to boom. Facebook, now a meta company, announced at the time that fitness apps were particularly popular during the pandemic. For BoxVR developers, the increased popularity resulted in $6.3 million in new investments.

The VR game becomes a virtual gym

In 2020, BoxVR received a major upgrade, moving from VR gaming to VR gym. The development team redesigned the app from the ground up, introducing live fitness workouts with other users, personal trainer avatars, and additional workout types like dance and HIIT.

The innovations were not well received at first, and FitXR was punished by users with negative reviews. However, the reason was not the technical implementation. BoxVR and its DLCs can be purchased for a one-time fee. With the upgrade to FitXR came the switch to a subscription model and a monthly cost of $9.99. The VR game BoxVR, on the other hand, has disappeared from Meta Quest 2.

The initial rejection subsided over time and FitXR became more and more successful. With regular updates, new content and events, and ever-improving accessibility, a dedicated, enthusiastic community has formed around FitXR.

VR courses could be taught by live lecturers in the future

The team of personal trainers is also growing steadily. Zion Clark, a professional wrestler who was born without legs, offers training sessions for people with physical disabilities. FitXR has signed Nicola Adams, a professional boxer and Olympic gold medalist.

In the future, VR courses could be conducted live by lecturers. In the near future, instructors could even be personally present in the VR studio. According to Cole, tests are already underway for live training classes. “We have the technology to support that, we just need to work out a full go-to-market strategy for when it’s relevant to bring something like this to market.”

FitXR: Training feedback through artificial intelligence

Still, Cole sees more potential in recorded courses. These would become more efficient with the improved motion capture of upcoming VR headsets and the use of artificial intelligence. In the future, FitXR will be able to provide fitness feedback based on player movements.

“It’s starting to blur the lines between an avatar talking to me and what’s all pre-recorded, but it gives me specific instructions based on how I’m playing. It feels more like live feedback,” says Cole.

AI systems “get better and better every day,” according to Cole. In addition, new headsets with additional tracking cameras should bring better arm and lower body tracking. “Soon you will have almost complete body position data from the headsets,” says Cole.

FitXR experience to be enhanced through AR, mobile app and wearables

FitXR just released a companion app for iOS and Android that allows users to track their progress, create training plans or set fitness goals on their smartphones. For the FitXR CEO, this is an important step forward.

“We consider ourselves focused on everything from virtual reality to augmented reality, [and] Mobile opens up some interesting augmented reality opportunities,” says Cole.

FitXR has acquired many new customers through word of mouth, he says. The CEO believes this is due to the experimental nature of the VR app. With the smartphone, he says, the experience can be expanded. FitXR is also working with Apple and Strava on integration for wearables.

“I love this vision where you do a hard run today and ramp up FitXR tomorrow. We welcome you to this experience, congratulate you on your run and tailor the entire class recommendation based on how you ran,” said Cole.

FitXR CEO expects VR headset sales to increase tenfold

Cole revealed in a recent interview that the number of subscribers to the fitness app has quadrupled in the last 12 months. This success is all the more remarkable as the corona lockdowns and hygiene measures have decreased noticeably in the past year and fitness studios are again fully accessible.

For Cole, that growth is just the beginning. He believes VR headset sales will increase tenfold in the next three years. The releases of the PlayStation VR 2, Apple’s first VR headset, the Meta Quest Pro (Cambria) and the Pico Neo 4 (Pro) from TikTok owner Bytedance could help the market grow again.

If you want to learn more about the effectiveness of VR Fitness, you should check out my multi-part self-assessment: Earlier this year, I started a VR Fitness self-assessment and signed up for an annual subscription to FitXR. So much in advance: VR Fitness is a sensible choice for regular workouts at home.

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