DIGITAL HEALTH
If you just wait for
others to come up with the tech, you might fi nd you’ve been done out of a job – that a bit of technology has replaced you
Digital fitness It’s solutions such as these that pose particularly interesting questions not just for healthcare practitioners but for physical activity operators too. If doctors are in danger of being made redundant, where does the technological revolution leave personal trainers and other health club staff? “It leaves them in similar peril,” is Juneja’s blunt answer. “It’s
all about whether fi tness professionals will be able to adjust and compete on equal terms with, say, a smartphone app that’s linked to wearable tech sensors and which offers a set of pre- recorded videos or coaching sessions. Can personal trainers compete with the convenience, price and accessibility of a downloadable app – or even a robot? “It might sound outlandish at the moment, but interactive
companion robots are expected to hit the market from late 2015. When it comes to fi tness training or coaching, in years to come there are likely to be robots more than capable of teaching exercise movements. Some might even prefer a robot to a human being, because a robot will never judge.” So what should people working in the fi tness sector do to
ensure they still have a role in 2025? Juneja says it’s important that the sector as a whole doesn’t just compete with the technology on offer, but begins to create and take part in it. “I think it will be a case of the industry making sure it’s the
one creating the new technologies and testing them, rather than just waiting for something to happen and trying to react to innovations,” Juneja says. “If you just wait for others to come up with the tech, you might fi nd you’ve been done out of a job – that a bit of technology has replaced you. “It’s about adapting to change but, more importantly, it’s
about creating the change. What the fi tness industry and people within it must say is: ‘If this is going to be the future, then I still want to play a part in it – and I’ll create something or test something to help it on its way’.”
Personal touch Yet while technology is taking giant leaps, Juneja feels the only products and solutions that will ultimately be successful are ones that place the human at the core of it – and that doesn’t rule out interaction with other human beings, at least for now. “We live in an era in which technology, data, algorithms
and sensors are increasingly prevalent, but there’s still a need for creating personal experiences,” Juneja says. “Health clubs need to keep asking what value a human being can add to the process – whether it be the coach, the personal trainer or the reception staff. As the number of tasks apps and robots can
Juneja says companion robots will hit the market this year, and may ultimately even teach exercise movements
perform increases, operators may discover different services that can be provided by humans.” The message from Juneja for PTs and club staff is therefore
not entirely grim. “For the foreseeable future at least, there remain many roles within fi tness for actual human beings.” ●
ABOUT THE AUTHOR Tom Walker is managing editor of Sports Management magazine E:
tomwalker@leisuremedia.com T: @sportsmagtom
68 Read Health Club Management online at
healthclubmanagement.co.uk/digital February 2015 © Cybertrek 2015
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