In the course Ubiquitous Computing we worked with a project we call ubIksu. Our solution to make the gym Iksu (a large and often crowded gym) into a smart environment. Our goal was to make it easier for gym members to plan their exercise ahead and don’t end up waiting at every machine. We also wanted to help the staff and gym members to find the right dumbbells at once and not to end up searching for them.

Our solution:

• With weight sensors at the dumbbell rack we could measure if the dumbbell is the right one to its place or not. To help the user, we had a light that turned green if the dumbbell was in its rightful place and a red one if it was at the wrong place.

• When the dumbbell is being used (accelerometers calculated if and when weights and machines are being used) a timer will start ticking and a yellow light will appear at the rack. The timer helps other gym members to get a grip of how long the dumbbell will be gone for.

• We also wanted to measure the activity at the gym, so we used weight sensors in the floor. This let the users see in advantage where in the gym it’s a lot of activity. This information could be displayed in an app, a screen at the entrance or such.

  
  To read more about the project or to watch a short movie about it, visit the website.