The global fitness industry is worth roughly €100 billion a year, an enormous sector which was effectively shut down last month as fitness studios and gyms closed their doors amid the coronavirus pandemic.
While the crisis has been catastrophic for the physical fitness industry, it has provided the digital fitness industry with fertile ground to penetrate the market and establish itself as a long-term major player.
One such digital fitness device is Activ5, developed right here in the Principality by Dr. Kostadin Yanev and the team at Shibuya Productions.
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Monaco Life: Can you tell us the philosophy behind Activ5?
Dr. Kostadin Yanev: The philosophy is simple – get people to a happier and healthier lifestyle. Our aim is to make exercising fit effortlessly into anyone’s daily routine. Fitness can be accessible and fun, and people should be empowered to take charge of their health progress. Activ5 is “the tiny gym in your pocket” that allows you to keep active anywhere and at anytime.
How did its development come about?
The idea of Activ5 was first conceived in Monaco. It came to me when I was in a taxi on the way to yet another meeting. I knew I had to work out that day, but was dreading going to the gym – taking the time to go there, exercise and come back home … it also seemed too much. In the midst of yet another self-motivating speech getting me to go exercise, I realised that I had idle time now, during my commute, but had no means to exercise in the back seat of the car.
I approached solving this problem using my experience as a physicist and computer scientist. Fitness can be viewed simply as applying force using one’s muscles. I found that isometric exercise best captures the body’s force to allow for work outs that are efficient, intense and that can take place under any conditions.
I wanted to also measure the exerted force and save the data so as to track my progress. Thankfully, due to modern technology, this idea didn’t seem very far fetched. That’s when I started working on the use cases, patents, and in a short time organised an enthusiastic international team to develop the first prototype. The hardware was initially made using 3D printing, while the firmware was based on a small microcomputer, with the software being developed step-by-step by subcontractors.
The Monaco based company Shibuya Productions, which is a specialist in the videogames industry, works actively on the entertainment side of Activ5 with my team and represents Activ5 in Monaco.
My friend and partner Cédric Biscay from Shibuya Productions believes in the concept of “Gamification” which can be defined as a way to add fun in order to reduce the constraint.
What challenges did you face initially?
The main challenge was to overcome the desire to make a very universal device, that included multiple sensors, games, nutrition information, calendar, etc. While this was successful (the first prototype won a ‘Best Of CES’ nomination, the biggest computer electronics show in Las Vegas), marketing specialists advised to test the market with a simpler, more intuitive model that focuses on isometric training and tracking. Thus, a new challenge presented itself – we had to promote and popularise the concept of isometrics, for example using intensive muscular force in a static position, with no movement. Something which is very convenient when you’re in a confined space, with very little time to exercise. We wanted to highlight these benefits in the device name – Activ5, you only need to exercise for as short as five minutes.
What is the connection to China?
The device’s mechanical instruments were created in China. It is also where production began.
To us, the Chinese market has huge potential and offers many opportunities. This is why ActivBody has reached an agreement with relevant partners to create a joint venture company located in Beijing.
The product has some strong endorsement from groups like Apple Store and the Pittsburg Steelers, can you tell us about that?
We are extremely proud to have a product featured in Apple Store. It has been great collaborating with them. We are hoping and looking forward to seeing our new models and apps there soon too. Companies like Apple and Amazon help Activ5 become more easily accessible and widely recognised, and we are happy that such renowned companies support us as a unique, innovative product.
The endorsement from the Pittsburgh Steelers, an extremely acclaimed and celebrated US football team, helped us to discover new uses for Activ5 and offers us unique insights from sport professionals. Their chief conditioning coach, Garrett Giemont, actively shares great ideas about new exercises and tailored accessories, offering us his continuous support, once saying to me: “You don’t even realise what you’ve invented for us”.
Online fitness courses and devices are going through the roof during lockdown – what role can Activ5 play at this time?
The strength of Activ5 lies in its ability to actively track and provide users with feedback, thanks to its software and cloud platform. Users are able to visualise their progress, know their exact precision and understand which exercises they are performing best and which still need practice. In a time when you can’t really follow your progress, it can give people that extra bit of motivation. Specifically, for professional users – physiotherapists, fitness instructors, health insurers, game developers – it is very important to track the compliance of their “clients” with the prescribed routines. The possibility to create their own products and develop their own businesses using our tech has also been envisaged as ActivBody is providing specialised APIs and SDK for this purpose.
Can you tell us about the gaming element that you are creating for the device?
Our goal has always been to make exercising fun; to make a mundane activity into something you look forward to and motivate people to get moving and lead a happier, healthier lifestyle.
We already have some games, such as Activ5 Fly and Sumo, which are available on Android and iOS, and we are currently working on more opportunities and projects with several gaming companies.
Our next generation of devices are designed specifically to combine fitness with gaming, bringing health and wellness to all who enjoy gaming. We’ll be making public announcements soon on this exciting development.
I believe that Activ5 and its new models (integrated with different tools, such as accelerometer and gyroscope), has the potential to become the first handheld mobile game controller, allowing people to exercise while playing games, and still applying real physical effort, and not just fingertips.
Do you think the lockdown has changed the future of fitness?
It seems to me that the current lockdown has empowered people to take real care of their health. We now, more than ever, are faced with the fact that staying in good health is more than just a personal goal. It’s of communal importance. The product we are offering aims to help people live a healthy life no matter the circumstances.
With its compact design, Activ5 can be used anywhere and assist people in reaching their fitness objectives. It is also fun to use, which, particularly in these turbulent times, is no small matter.
Clearly, the lockdown has accelerated the online transition of the fitness industry. Training remotely via video is now more commonplace than ever before. Activ5 and our platform is also particularly well-suited in helping fitness professionals track the progress and provide precise, tailored guidance to their clients, regardless of distance.
What is the future of this device?
We are working consistently on providing our customers with the latest in fitness technology. Creativity and innovation can not stop. ActivBody is developing a line of new isometric devices, new applications and accessories. Stay tuned, big changes are coming!
Top photo: Dr. Kostadin Yanev
Read more:
Interview: Cédric Biscay, CEO Shibuya Productions
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