Peloton’s latest moves suggest a possible smartwatch

Platoon had a lot of tops and low over the past year or so, but it has recently gathered an interesting mix of small tech companies. This latest round of acquisitions appears to be hinting that the company may be thinking about its own wearable device – or at the very least, add some cool AI-powered features to its existing products.

Recent reports from Bloomberg and Wareable say Peloton purchased Aiqudo, Atlas Wearables, and Otari at the end of 2020. Aiqudo is an AI startup that specializes in helping developers add digital assistants to apps and devices. Otari made a interactive workout mat complete with its own screen. The Otari mat also includes some form of AI coaching to help correct form and count reps. Finally, Atlas Wearables manufactures wearable sensors that focus on accurate recording of workouts involving weights and bodyweight movements – something no smartwatch has really figured out how to do well.

Of particular note is the acquisition of Atlas Wearables. The company built a huge exercise database, based on real movements personal trainers of a wide variety of activity types like HIIT, Crossfit, Bootcamp, strength training, etc. you did. For some, like the Apple Watch, these activities simply record your heart rate and duration, with calories burned being calculated based on a combination of other metrics. This is one of the biggest gaps in fitness tracking today, as most of the wearable devices available are more suited to tracking cardio or recovery-based activities and metrics.

If you put it all together, it looks like Peloton could lay the groundwork for develop its hardware to include better automatic training detection, digital assistants, and, possibly, coaching in the form of AI. That’s a compelling thought when you consider Peloton’s current ecosystem. Its bikes and treadmills all feature large displays and newer bike and treadmill both have screens that swivel so you can more easily switch from cycling / running to other types of exercise. In addition, Peloton also sells its own heart rate monitors and offers integration with the Apple Watch. Finally, the company recently deployed a feature called Stacked Classes, which makes it easier for you to create a “workout playlist”. As in, you can schedule a 30-minute bike ride, followed by a 20-minute strength training session and a 10-minute cooldown. Adding a smartwatch-like gadget (or AI sensing to its screens) that can automatically record you as you switch between activities or provide live feedback on the form would be a huge achievement.

More food for thought: Peloton also fell $ 420 million to buy Precor, one of the world’s largest manufacturers of commercial fitness equipment, in December. At the time, it seemed like the move was more about strengthening Peloton’s supply chain and addressing these issues. annoying, month long delays that frustrated many new buyers. In addition to acquiring all of Precor’s US production facilities, the deal also included the company’s 100-member research and development team. This would, in theory, give Peloton the ability to produce any new material on its own.

We won’t know what will come out of all these acquisitions for a while. And while Peloton himself is rather optimistic about its growth after the pandemic, there is the looming possibility that its notorious delays and cabin fever will cause people to return to gyms once lockdowns are over. Yet all of these acquisitions seem to point to a future where Peloton will only become more powerful and influential in the world of connected fitness – no less.