February 16, 2011
In an article I recently read, Curves International, which is based in Waco, Texas, has over 10,000 clubs. In 2007, the company introduced CurvesSmart, which is an RFID-based system. This is designed to provide members with personal and immediate feedback during their training.
To activate the system, the member wears an RFID-embedded wristband and on each piece of equipment a RFID interrogator is attached. The wristbands have passive RFID tags, each costing $2.54.
Each wristband contains the member’s information from a fitness test that is required upon receiving the device. This helps the CurvesSmart system target the woman’s workout for her particular body. Finally, at the end of the workout, she then can measure her results and compare it to the previous workout.
Wouldn’t it be great to see after every workout that you are a step closer to accomplishing your goals?
With this RFID tag it seems that you are able to see your progress.
Do you think this could be implemented at your gym?
Would you use it?
February 2, 2011
I recently read many articles and blogs regarding how much technology is affecting sports, but more importantly how RFID is implemented in sports. One blog about how much RFID is an essential in sports specifically caught my attention.
For example, running. Many people enjoy spending their time training for marathons, which requires a lot of running, and most of them want to better themselves after each marathon. In order to better themselves, they need to know their run times at the start, split and finish. With RFID, race timing is easier to accurately keep track of.
Of course, there are volunteers at hand with stopwatches or spotters watching a large clock, but both don’t accurately keep track of people’s individual time, especially when there are 5000 or more people racing.
Therefore, the alternative way to tracking someone’s time accurately is the RFID race timing, which is an adhesive strap with am embedded RFID tag that is attached to the back of the racer’s race number (this is an example of just how one race used this technology).
Volunteers now, only have to hand competitors a number with the timing device. Then, they take the strap off the number and attach it to their shoelaces. During their run, the computers and readers will do the rest.
This makes volunteer’s lives and runner’s lives less complex, but more accurate in timing their race.
