PowerBlock, Asensei Partner To ‘Disrupt’ Connected Fitness
Now, when an athlete picks up a PowerBlock dumbbell, asensei’s advanced computer vision can track the weight in real-time
PowerBlock has partnered with asensei, a leading provider of movement recognition and coaching intelligence for connected health and fitness products. Now, users can access real-time weight recognition, rep counting and form feedback with any connected health or fitness product that utilizes PowerBlock dumbbells and the asensei software development kit (SDK).
Tracking sets, reps and weights has always been time-consuming. By integrating asensei technology with PowerBlock dumbbells, this manual task is no more. When an athlete picks up a PowerBlock dumbbell, asensei’s advanced computer vision identifies both the dumbbell and the weight being used. It provides real-time coaching insights, automatically logs sets, reps and weights, and offers intelligent coaching recommendations based on an athlete’s form and fatigue levels.
Asensei’s proprietary computer vision technology also eliminates the need for Bluetooth connected cradles or QR codes on dumbbells. By combining 3D pose estimation, human movement recognition and object detection, asensei accurately identifies when an athlete interacts with a specific piece of fitness equipment and determines how it’s being used.
PowerBlock wanted to create a digital solution that would be compatible with dumbbells already in the market and could easily integrate into their customer’s own digital products, whether a smartphone, smart TV or connected fitness product.
“We were approached by a number of our customers who wanted to not only use our dumbbells in their facilities but in their digital apps.” said Mattson Towley, PowerBlock CEO.
“With PowerBlock dumbbell recognition and weight recognition integrated into the asensei SDK, we encourage our commercial and connected fitness partners to elevate the experience they deliver their members, powered by asensei,” Towley added. “This is the biggest disruption in our 30-year history as a brand. This is game-changing for the industry.”
Asensei had already prioritized object detection and recognition as part of its asensei XR update, which introduced a range of capabilities to blend physical and digital experiences in extended reality.
“When we were introduced by a joint customer to PowerBlock, we had already prioritized object detection and recognition as part of our asensei XR update,” said Blake Whitcomb, vice president of partnerships at asensei. “The challenge and opportunity for us, was could we identify the weight loaded on the dumbbell without requiring any changes to the design of the dumbbell. If we could do that, we not only turned an industry-leading adjustable dumbbell into a connected fitness product, but we transformed the hundreds of thousands of dumbbells already in homes and studios around the world into products that were part of the asensei ecosystem.”