Each of us would like to pursue our personal hobbies and interests into old age. However, this depends on us staying fit and healthy. Researchers from the Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits IIS in Erlangen (Germany) are now presenting an armchair that brings the gym right into your living room at the push of a button. On the outside, GEWOS as it is called, looks like a conventional armchair but the inside is loaded with sensors, circuit boards and all kinds of wiring. All this circuitry constantly measures the state of health of the seated person.

 

A tablet PC applied to the armchair transmits the data to the TV via Bluetooth and WLAN. The user can view trends in pulse rate, blood oxygen saturation, blood pressure or weight over a certain period of time. A virtual health assistant uses the recorded data to come up with exercise plans tailored to the user and updates these plans based on the progress made. If the values fall outside a prescribed range the health assistant may recommend more exercise. Then, the armchair is transformed into a rowing machine of the kind seen in fitness studios. The armrests become the oars, and a support for the rower‘s feet pops out below the seat. Individual exercises are easy to call up through the television.