The COVID-19 pandemic kicked at-home training and fitness solutions into overdrive, as thousands of gyms closed and memberships dwindled in the months following health-related closures and mandatory quarantines. Consumer confidence in the cleanliness and safety of many group fitness centers plummeted, and brands like Peloton found incredible success as high-end home workout equipment found their way into homes and apartments across the United States and around the world.
But there has been one important aspect that’s lacking as fitness trends come to the home: the input of trainers and coaches. Personal trainers, professional sports strength and conditioning coaches, and doctors of physical therapy have always been able to provide guidance and prevent injuries by supervising the physical activity of their clients. Without the personal touch and interaction, goals aren’t reached; exercises are performed incorrectly, and injuries are sustained.
Fitness expert and entrepreneur Jeff Halevy, the CEO and Co-Founder of Altis Movement Technologies, saw the clear need for an AI personal training software that is superior to current competitors. He also saw room for improvement by truly seeing the person perform the exercises, and adjusting the workout based on their needs and abilities.
"I needed Altis to see the user as accurately as possible, regardless of the exercise, and without any impositions on the user, like wearing sensors," says Halevy. "This meant building something better than even Microsoft's Body SDK, which runs on their Azure Kinect cameras. Our North Star was 'GPS for Human Movement,' and that's what we created with Body GPS™ - an unparalleled computer vision neural network for sensorless body capture."
On-screen fitness is not a new concept by any means; fitness videos have been around since VHS tapes were invented. The internet gives us access to unlimited fitness resources, and more modern technologies allow us to follow exact movements in a mirror. But none of the products currently on the market are able to provide accurate and personalized instruction; they cannot see you, understand you, or personally instruct you the way that a certified personal trainer would. Altis is the first product to merge sports lab-grade kinematics and expert-level exercise instruction.
What sets Altis apart from its competitors is its computer vision and deep learning models. Altis determines which exercises and regimens are best for a user based on their individual capabilities, limitations, and goals. The user's form and performance are monitored during training to provide real-time instruction and form guidance as well as adjustments to sets, reps, and weights. Altis's technology is delivered via a sleek console that connects to any screen via HDMI, so it can be used anywhere, anytime.
So where does Altis get its intelligence from?
- Cerebrus™ Deep Learning Model: Based on assessments that the user takes prior to beginning a workout regimen, Altis is able to learn about your body, including the capabilities and limitations of your joints. Setting it apart from competitors, Altis is able to gain an understanding of your strength, technique, and range of motion, and create an optimal fitness regimen that continuously updates in real-time based on your performance.
- Body GPS™ Computer Vision Neural Network: Altis’s artificial intelligence network is able to recognize a user's entire body and movements within one-centimeter accuracy. The user is not required to wear sensors, special attire, or adjust the position of their body.
- Altis Vision™: What good is a bird’s eye view of your body and your form if you can’t benefit from it? Altis Vision provides a live view of the user's body from the most advantageous angle to improve and correct form. This feature increases the safety and efficacy of exercises.
Altis has garnered international attention due to its unrivaled accuracy and real-time program modification. Tel Aviv fund PentaLab, which is run by the founders of Viber and Juno, recently invested $7 million into Altis, and NBA legend Jerome "Junkyard Dog" Williams is another passionate investor.
"Altis is not only what I felt I needed as an athlete, but what I need now that I'm retired, more than ever,” Williams has said. “The accuracy and gamification are mind-blowing. Altis is an incredibly immersive and addictive experience."
If you want to experience Altis for yourself, you can do so at Hyatt’s Chicago Athletic Association hotel. After its launch with commercial partners, Altis is expected to be available for in-home use by the end of 2022.
