Immersive scenarios for practicing sports in gyms - functional design and protocols

Many fitness devices lack the immersive features and interactions necessary to enhance user engagement and optimize athletic performance. To address this gap, we propose an innovative, open, and interoperable architectural solution that transforms sports equipment into immersive training platforms. The solution integrates videos of real-world routes with contextual data, such as speed and altitude variations, to recreate outdoor sports experiences indoors. The system dynamically synchronizes videos with fitness equipment, adjusting parameters such as resistance, incline, and inertia to simulate real-world conditions. The architecture is based on a dual-subsystem design. The first subsystem facilitates the creation and sharing of enriched videos in the cloud, fostering a collaborative community of users. The second subsystem focuses on delivering an immersive experience through advanced technologies, including cloud computing, wearables, SIG BLE standards for fitness equipment, and edge computing, all coordinated via a mobile application. These elements ensure seamless integration between videos, equipment dynamics, and user behavior, enabling personalized training based on historical and real-time data. Initial validation was conducted through prototypes and tests with real equipment, utilizing contextual data and basic device adjustments. While further advancements, such as AI-driven personalization, are still required, preliminary results demonstrate the architecture's feasibility and transformative potential. This scalable and flexible system fosters a collaborative ecosystem and drives innovation in the fitness industry.