Biking can burn at least 250 calories every 45-minute session making them great tools to remove those extra fats and build your energy and stamina. The only problem is it can be boring to stare at a wall or a television show while doing so. That's where the "Chess Fit Trainer" comes in with its VR tech allowing one to travel iconic cities in virtual reality and even charge one's smartphone with the kinetic energy it produces.
According to Digital Trends -- citing their interview with "Chess Fit Trainer" creator New York-based mechanical engineer Ramuel Maramara -- his Kickstarter project began when he became bored working out with typical bicycles. He said he wanted to make a machine "that would give users every reason in the world to exercise." He added that he always hated exercising because he "found it boring sitting on an exercise bike" and that the "Chess Fit Trainer" will "eliminate all those excuses."
His concept for the "Chess Fit Trainer" is simple; get a bike on it and plug a phone into the headset. Select the travel length as necessary and it generates a tour of a city with the same travel distance. The "Chess Fit Trainer" currently has footage of bike tours of New York, London and Tokyo in full 360 allowing you to swing your head to one side and another.
Similar VR biking technologies like "Chess Fit Trainer" are out on the market. "Virzoom" is an entire VR bike with a headset that focuses on virtual reality gaming. Bikers can pretend to be cowboys trying to catch criminals while on a bicycle with "Virzoom" and one can pedal hard enough to try and win the game effectively, according to Polygon.
The trend for exercise bikes leans toward distracting bikers from their workouts and the device giving them other activities that allow them to zone out. And it makes for effective workouts.