The company’s gamified interface layers in cognitive benefits while transporting users to the moon and back
Most treadmill sessions begin the same way: with a sigh and a small act of willpower. While still popular for their easy-to-use nature, standard treadmills aren’t exciting or particularly inspiring. They give you a good sweat, but little else.
However, Xpriential, a fit-tech startup specializing in immersive cardio training, provides much more. With visual screens, high-tech cameras and an interactive running deck, the brand’s treadmills present users with mesmerizing, entertaining cardio experiences.
“In a way, this treadmill is a gaming console,” said Sid Raman, Xpriential’s founder. “That gamification and the immersiveness are the two hooks we believe are working…We developed a scene where you can run on the moon. We have a game called Infinite Castle where you collect coins and dodge things that are trying to crush you.”
With the innovation, the brand delivers cognitive and physical benefits. For partnering gyms, each crater cleared or coin collected is another step toward increased retention.
The Cognitive Demand Growth
The COVID-19 pandemic increased the public’s attention around health, and with that, made people realize there’s more to it than looking cut and hitting personal bests.
“The pandemic brought mortality back into the forefront of everybody’s mind,” Raman said. “Everybody felt invincible until that young, 35-year-old guy suddenly succumbed to an illness that nobody had heard about. Now, there’s a lot more emphasis on becoming well rather than just becoming fit from the gym sense.”
Raman believes that “becoming well” involves physical and cognitive stimulation, and unlike other treadmills, Xpriential hits on both. This makes it a powerful retention driver in today’s day and age.
Raman knows that firsthand as well. During its pre-launch stage, night after night, he found himself staying late at the office to use the Xpriential treadmill. He often “went” to the moon, yearning for the mental simulation that came from exploring the lunar surface.
“I wasn’t cluttering my visual field, but my mind was very inquisitive, looking for what’s in a crater or behind a shadow,” he said. “It de-stressed me in a way that I didn’t even realize.”
Xperiential’s treadmill also inclines and reclines in real time to seamlessly simulate different running surfaces. There’s no need for users to adjust the belt on their own; they just need to start moving. That makes it that much easier for users to immerse themselves in a virtual environment and enjoy the cognitive benefits.
“The interactiveness is immediate and the feedback is complete,” Raman said. “This is where the treadmill excels. It changes physical and mental load dynamically.”
Innovation Meets Safety
Xpriential’s treadmill also includes two full-length rails specifically designed so users can maintain balance while they simulate jumping, climbing and grabbing in the game. It responds to these movements using the treadmill’s skeletal-tracking camera, which Raman referred to as the “secret sauce” outside of the rapid incline and decline capabilities.
“We use skeletal tracking with a system that’s been refined by our in-house AI engineers to give us richer data than what you’d get from a regular treadmill,” he said. “For example, we enable gesture recognition for reaching out and grabbing something or for jumping over an obstacle.”
Widespread Retention
The Xpriential treadmill’s immersiveness and ability to stimulate users cognitively help it captivate all demographics. Raman referred to it as a “hit song,” noting how easily the treadmill makes you want to run on it again and again — like replaying a favorite track.
“You just like something about it,” he said. “The beat, the words or the rhythm. When we had a product out in Chelsea, one of the scenes that everybody liked was kind of sparse, but the color palette was an evening setting sun. It gave you this very neutral mood. One guy told me he wouldn’t mind running on the treadmill for the rest of his life.”
The gamification elements also motivate members to keep coming back to the equipment.
“Cognitive challenge is equivalent to why someone is a gamer,” Raman said. “You are gaining some reward from beating a certain level or collecting coins.”
The treadmill’s appeal extends beyond gamers, because it provides the physical benefits even with the screen off.
“You can use it like a regular treadmill if that’s all you want,” Raman said. “Our policy is, ‘Do no harm.’ This way, unequivocally, there’s nothing negative about the treadmill.”
Raman also shared that of the operators Xpriential talks to, many of them use the treadmill as part of their selling pitch. Xpriential already has its treadmills in gyms such as The Edge Fitness Clubs, Powerhouse Gym and Fitness Factory.
Monetizing Opportunities for Operators
Gym operators can also integrate with Xpriential’s treadmill to offer coupons for in-gym products like smoothies or merchandise. The brand views this as an opportunity to help gyms unlock additional revenue streams.
“We can monetize the treadmill as an immersive and cognitive platform to help drive user behavior towards a profitable outcome for both the user and the gym,” Raman said. “We believe that’s the next frontier.”
