VIR-Fit

Inspiration

The inspiration arose from two factors. Firstly, it was inspired by the dating app Tinder which during the COVID-19 lockdowns, managed to incorporate video calls for compatible people in order to enhance their acquaintance experience without having to physically meet. The second factor attributable to be an inspiration is the Play Station game FIFA. Over the years, this has incorporated online global interaction with other players virtually, which just serves to enhance the experience. Hence, the project intertwines these two points of departure of FIFA (taking into account the competitive online aspect) and Tinder (factoring in the online compatibility based on location) to produce a product - VIR-Fit which matches people engaged in physical activity online based on their location and exercise preferences hence allowing them to exercise together virtually and physically should they wish.

VIR-Fit can essentially be used to imply any of the following - VIRTUAL-Fitness (to emphasize on the ability to exercise with buddies virtually); VIRUS-Fitness (taking into account to Corona Virus induced need for the VIR-Fit intervention) and VIRAL-Fitness (to imply that the project is scalable to different regions)

How we built it

The idea of social media platforms where daily activities and interests, are posted for likes, shares and ratings is the story behind the VIR-Fit project.

The shared activities in physical activity or exercise, which are monitored and uploaded to motivate the rest of of the physical activity or exercise community to inspire first time or continued participation.

Create a location based exercise platform or mobile app that allows exercise buddies The idea is to then have an exercise buddie registering which enables them to get matched with similar others It uses Geo-satellite fencing to motivate exercise buddies, a leader board shall be incorporated which maps exercise results therefore giving a competitive edge

Challenges we ran into

When VIR-Fit activities take place within the physical space, the challenge would be to verify the identity of **exercise buddies to avoid matching users with criminal subterfuge elements.**

Another challenge is the discrimination of the app in terms of exercise monitoring. For instance, some exercises (such as jogging) will be easier to monitor than others such as skipping rope or burpees)

Accomplishments that we're proud of

The projects leave no one behind as it incorporates all age groups so long as they are willing to be physically active to enhance their health.

It can also be adopted globally is it is not limited to any one location hence the potential to scale is greater.

There is a strong motivation factor due to the gamification component introduced by the leader boards and not least, the availability of exercise buddies based on location proximity, whose activities you can also see.

What we learned

People are easily getting motivated to exercise when in a group setting and also if there is a competitive aspect to the exercise engagement

Physical exercise can blur the limitations posed by stay at home restrictions

The stay at home restrictions have made people appreciate the importance of socializing within group settings thereby making them more prone to want to engage in the virtual-physical exercise offered by VIR-Fit, even with strangers.