ALIGN

ALIGN is a tool designed to improve proprioception. Beginner gym users do not know when their posture or joint alignment is slightly incorrect, which can lead to poor form and injury.

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ALIGN

Inspiration

Many people, especially beginners, feel intimidated when entering the gym for the first time. Even after watching instructional videos, they still wonder: Am I sitting correctly? Is my back straight? Am I pulling this correctly?

We were inspired by the gap between watching exercise instructions and actually knowing if your body is positioned correctly in real time. The core problem is spatial awareness (proprioception), people often can’t tell how their body is moving in space.

ALIGN was created to give users instant feedback on their body positioning so they can exercise with confidence and accuracy.

What it does

ALIGN is a pair of AR glasses that guide users through gym equipment using real-time body tracking and spatial feedback.

Using advanced sensors and visual tracking, ALIGN:

  • Detects nearby gym equipment
  • Identifies which muscles the equipment trains
  • Tracks the user’s body position and joint alignment
  • Overlays holographic guides for correct posture and movement

By utilizing advanced sensors, ALIGN helps users develop a deeper awareness of their body in space, improving movement efficiency and performance. The system also compares the user’s movement to their body measurements to determine whether the exercise is performed correctly.

At the end of each set, ALIGN provides feedback on:

  • body alignment accuracy
  • movement consistency
  • suggested weight adjustments
  • alternative equipment if form is incorrect

How we built it

We built ALIGN as an AR-guided training interface prototype.

Our system combines:

  • computer vision body-tracking to detect joint positions
  • spatial overlays that guide hand placement and posture
  • equipment recognition to identify gym machines
  • real-time feedback visualization

The prototype demonstrates how users would experience ALIGN through first-person AR interfaces, showing holographic guidance directly on their body and gym equipment.

Challenges we ran into

One major challenge was designing clear visual guidance without overwhelming the user. AR interfaces can easily become cluttered, so we focused on minimal overlays that highlight only the most important body alignment cues.

Another challenge was prototyping accurate body tracking for specific joints, such as shoulder-elbow alignment during exercises like the lat pulldown.

Finally, translating complex movement data into simple, intuitive feedback required several iterations of UI design.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We’re proud of creating a system that goes beyond simple workout instructions and instead focuses on spatial awareness and movement understanding.

Our prototype successfully demonstrates:

  • real-time body tracking
  • holographic movement guidance
  • equipment recognition
  • actionable feedback after each set

Most importantly, ALIGN transforms the gym experience from guessing your form to truly understanding your movement.

What we learned

Through this project, we learned how important proprioception and spatial feedback are in physical training. Many people struggle not because they lack information, but because they lack a real-time understanding of their own body movement.

We also learned that designing for AR requires balancing clarity, minimalism, and usability. Even powerful technology must feel simple and intuitive to the user.

Next, we want to expand ALIGN into other uses, including: Physical Therapy, Playing muscial instrument, DIY hobbies (e.g making furniture) Ultimately, ALIGN could evolve into a real-time movement intelligence system that helps people train safer, learn faster, and move better.

Built With

  • canva
  • figma
  • figmamake
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