At Peloton's Spin Classes, There's No Mask Required
(U.S. Patent No. 10,022,590)
At Peloton’s Spin Classes, No Mask Required By Jonathon Western
Having faced the Covid-19 pandemic for over a year, it seems every area of life has been impacted in one way or another. Common forms of exercise are a prime example, particularly in regions that implemented strict lock down measures. Gym closures, travel restrictions, and limited access to public spaces compelled many fitness-minded folks to discover new in-home exercise options. One study analyzed Google search trends and found that community interest in exercise surged immediately following the lock down,î and more specific search queries related to home-based exercise saw an even greater surge. Sales of fitness equipment, mobile exercise apps, and Zoom-based yoga classes have shot up as a result.
Not surprisingly, one of the best-known home-exercise brands, Peloton, has benefited from this fitness revival. Specializing in stationary spin bikes (and now treadmills) equipped with a large monitor for streaming professional-grade fitness classes, New York City-based Peloton saw its sales surge by 232% year-over-year during the Covid-19 pandemic due to massive demand from consumers looking to stay in shape.
In addition to equipment, Peloton also offers a subscription-based video workout APP Peloton Digital allowing users to stream its instructional videos, either connected to Peloton’s own bikes or without. This digital side of Peloton realized an even bigger increase than its physical equipment side, with total subscriptions to Peloton Digital growing by 382% since last year.
A key component contributing to the popularity, and also addictivness, of Peloton’s video classes is the ability for a user to virtually compete against other users in real-time, replicating the excitement of a real-life spin class within the cozy confines of your own home. The only thing missing is wondering whether that pool of sweat on the ground is your own or from a nearby rider.
These immersive aspects of Peloton’s video classes are described in U.S. Patent No. 10,022,590 (Exercise System and Method.) The patent sets the stage, explaining: Humans are competitive by nature, striving to improve their performance both as compared to their own prior efforts and as compared to others. (Column 1, Lines 28-30) While in-person spin classes offer such an experience, the patent further explains, as if foreshadowing our current pandemic: All of these class-based experiences, however, are accessible only at specific times and locations. As a result, they are unavailable to many potential users. (Column 1, Lines 52-54) Peloton addresses the unavailability or inconvenience of in-person cycling classes by providing a stationary bike that incorporates multimedia inputs and outputs for live streaming or archived instructional content, socially networked audio and video chat, networked performance metrics and competition capabilities, along with a range of gamification features. (Column 1, Lines 56-62)
In essence, Peloton’s invention is directed to a user interface for displaying cycling classes ñ either live or archived to a first user, in conjunction with performance parameters (e.g., cadence, power, heart rate, etc.) of the first user and performance parameters of a ìsecond userî who is participating (or participated) in the same class in a different location. The digital video and audio content are ìoutput in substantially in real-time,î in the case of live classes, or ìarchived content provided from a database,î in the case of archived (i.e., previously recorded) classes. (Column 2, Lines 23-26) As illustrated in the figure below, the invention simulates an in-person cycling class experience whereby users can interact with other users, and even the class instructor, while viewing the other usersí real-time performance data next to their own. Although the users participate from their own homes, physically separated from each other, the users may ìsimultaneously access the same recorded class and interact with each other in real time.î (Column 4, Lines 41-46) The result is a cycling experience that is more engaging, exciting, and immersive than simply cycling alone, motivating the user to pedal even harder in the next class.
A year ago, Peloton released its infamous wife commercial, sparking unexpected backlash and a plunging stock price. That ad now seems like a distant memory, as Peloton’s sales are skyrocketing to new heights, and customer surveys of the company are overwhelmingly positive. Whether the rapid turnaround is attributable to the Covid-19 pandemic, a Peloton marketing pivot, or perhaps a broader cultural change, is unclear. Regardless, Peloton’s stated mission is to “connect the world through fitness, empowering people to be the best version of themselves anywhere, anytime.”
From a sales perspective, at least, its mission seems to be catching on. And through patent protection, Peloton ensures the competitors cannot replicate its popular video classes.