In a sea of unattractive training equipment that is unworthy of display in the home, the VELA cycle trainer, with its alluring sculptural presence and deeply immersive user experience, breaks the mold.
Most people hide their fitness equipment in the basement or spare room because most fitness equipment was designed for a professional studio environment—a habitat very different from a home. VELA was created to present a new option: a compact training cycle that provides interactive feedback and a graceful sculptural form that people are proud to leave out on display when it’s not in use. The resulting experience makes cycling at home a celebrated activity that proudly reflects users’ passion for fitness and their love of design. It creates a new category of attractive, engaging training equipment that is specifically designed for progressive living environments.
The form of VELA is both functional and transformative. To accommodate a wide range of users, a disc hub suspended by wires can be moved up and down and forward and backward to afford a perfect fit for any user. Although VELA is a concept, the design team envisions it produced primarily of carbon fiber. The disc hub would be die cast of aluminum. The cables that suspend the hub would be made of Dyneema, a polyethylene fiber with an ultra-high molecular weight that is 15 times stronger than steel wire and has almost no distension.
In parallel to the form development process, the team explored what the user interface on fitness equipment might look like in the future. The small gauges on most conventional cycle trainers provide a dull interface for feedback. Instead, VELA was designed to tap into people’s emotions, providing for more charismatic interaction. The design team found inspiration in light structures that have dynamic tension. This led to the development of a large projected interface zone, rather than a screen with data, that provides immersive performance feedback that speaks to people’s hearts and minds. During training, graphics are projected on the ground around the bike to communicate to users the current stage of the session and their performance using color and animation. By maintaining focus on the riding experience, instead of on dials and numbers, users can more easily funnel their energy to what matters. VELA also automatically tracks fitness progress and rewards users for meeting their goals.
With VELA the experience of training at home has been redefined. It transforms training from a boring routine with equipment unfit for a living room into a compelling experience based around beautifully designed behavior-inspiring tools that support and encourage a healthy lifestyle.