Bicycling is a fantastic way to get your daily exercise, but if it’s your only form of exercise you’re only working a small group of muscles over and over. Caron, a concept bike, can propel you along in six ways, working a wider number of muscle groups every time you ride.

The bike can be pedaled normally, or you can change modes with a thumb switch. Then you can ride by moving both feet in revolution, revolving one foot (either side) while the other rests at the bottom, both feet moving up and down, one foot or the other moving up and down, or alternating moving both feet up and down.

The difference between the Caron and a regular bike is its unusual crankset. Instead of only allowing a single range of motion, the patented Uniset’s components move in novel ways that let each pedal operate independently while still moving the bike forward. It’s an interesting approach that lets you work more muscles than regular bicycling alone.

The post 6 Ways to Fitness: Innovative Bike Pedals in Multiple Ways first appeared on Gajitz.

Working out at home is far different than working out at the gym – so why is home gym equipment so similar to the gear you’d find at the gym? The designers at Lunar Europe adopted the challenge of creating a home workout experience that felt more tailored to the home environment.

The result is Tera: an interactive concept that combines home decorating with home fitness. The circular wool rug looks ordinary enough when it isn’t in use, but when you turn on the specially-developed app it becomes a high-tech exercise mat.

After you select a training discipline (like yoga, pilates, or Zumba), the LEDs on Tera’s surface help guide your movements. The pressure sensitive surface can detect with a high level of accuracy how you are moving your body, and the app gives you feedback on your workout.

The app records and analyzes your workouts, and when you’re done you can share the information with a personal trainer via social media. Tera is a concept and not a real product at the moment, but the innovative fitness tool has already won several design awards.

The post Hi-Tech Yoga: Wool Rug Becomes Interactive Exercise Mat first appeared on Gajitz.

Like a lot of kids, Keahi Seymour was fascinated with the way animals move and run. He was especially impressed with the ostrich and its wide, springy gait.

Seymour wanted to create a book that would help him run like an ostrich. His idea took several years to come to fruition, but eventually he created the Bionic Boot, a working prototype of a crazily creative cybernetic running aid.

The Bionic Boots feature springs on the back that are meant to imitate the achilles tendon of an ostrich or kangaroo, giving the human wearer a greatly increased amount of force when running. The increased force propels the wearer forward faster than non-augmented human legs could.

Strapping on the boots and going for a run looks like a blast, and according to Seymour they can help you run at speeds up to 25 miles per hour. He hopes to go even faster in the future. The inventor says that the exaggerated arm movements in the video are just for demonstration purposes, and when you’re running for fun or exercise the movements are much more natural.

Although he’s put quite a bit of work into the concept so far, Mr. Seymour has no immediate plans to produce and sell the Bionic Boot. He has made appearances at Maker Faires, though, showing off his invention and sprinting around like a very happy ostrich.

The post Meep Meep! Bionic Boots Make You a Human Roadrunner first appeared on Gajitz.

Even if you’re adept at counting the calories in your food, tracking the nutritional information of beverages can be a little trickier. Mark One and Fuseproject have teamed up to create a cup that’s not only smart enough to tell you what you’re drinking – it can analyze its contents down to the calories, grams of sugar, and amount of caffeine inside.

The Vessyl is a brilliant device that perfectly melds high technology, eye-pleasing design, and ease of use. It looks a lot like a regular cup, but with a few subtle differences. The exterior is faceted, and these facets indicate where your consumption information will be displayed. The body is sturdy but not so heavy that it feels like a burden to carry around.

The lid is a beautiful design accomplishment on its own. It’s spill-proof and seamlessly covers the Vessyl’s opening when you need it to. When you want to take a sip, it smoothly slides out of the way with nothing more than a nudge from your thumb. The carefully designed lid lets you take the Vessyl anywhere without worrying about drips and spills.

When you fill up the Vessyl and then tip it slightly, the display shows you what is inside and gives basic information like calories, sugar, sodium, and protein content. The Vessyl app gives even more detailed information – seemingly impossible information, in fact. It can tell you whether you’re drinking Coke or Pepsi, whether there’s ice in your drink, and what your hydration level is at for the day (and where it should be).

Besides being a really cool gadget that can tell you how much caffeine is really in your cup of coffee, the Vessyl can play a huge role in improving your overall health. The app will keep track of how many calories you drink in a day (a number that is typically far higher than most people realize), and how hydrated you are. The app interacts with most popular fitness trackers and can integrate your fluid consumption into your picture of overall health.

You’ve only got to charge the Vessyl every 5-7 days or so, and it charges on a small saucer-like pad. The only wire involved is the micro-USB cable that attaches the charging coaster to a power source. The special non-stick glass-coated interior means that you’ll never have to try to reach in to scrub the very bottom of the cup, and you can even stick it in the fridge if you want to take a protein shake to work to drink later. No one cup can do everything, though, so the Vessyl does have one weakness: you can’t put it in the microwave. But since it has excellent insulation to keep your warm drinks warm, that shouldn’t be a problem in the first place.

The post Genius Cup Knows + Tracks Exactly What You’re Drinking first appeared on Gajitz.

Fitness apps are great motivators – for some people. For others, seeing the number of miles they’ve run during the week is no motivation to actually get up and run some more. Run An Empire from PAN Studio is a new idea that its creators insist is not a fitness app. Rather, it is an “alternate reality” game that uses the actual layout of your neighborhood to motivate you nerd-style: with the promise of winning a game.

Run An Empire is a strategy game wherein you “claim” your territory by walking or running – and then defend it from others who would dare to invade. The map on your smartphone screen is actually a map of your real neighborhood. The app shoes your territory on a map; the more times you run or walk that route, the more you fortify your defenses against invaders.

When other players venture into your territory, they may claim some of it, but you can win it back by being more active. Your phone’s accelerometer measures your pace and keeps track of your route. Each time you get out and “defend” your territory from others, the stronger your defenses become and the harder other players have to work in order to grab any of it.

The creators of Run An Empire have struck upon a very novel idea. Not only because this alternate reality game is so unusual and interesting, but because, as they say, an active 80 year old can win against a lazy 20-something. And cheating won’t get you ahead of your friends and neighbors – the app can detect when you’re in a car or riding a bike. The app’s Kickstarter project surpassed its funding goal far in advance of its deadline, proving that people really can be motivated by territoriality.

The post Smartphone Fitness Game Pits You Against Other Runners first appeared on Gajitz.