DR JOHN MORGAN
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PHOTO: WWW.SHUTTERSTOCK.COM<br />
“2025 will be a different world. Robots may be applied to things like cleaning,<br />
and possibly even equipment maintenance, which would make the cost of<br />
running clubs cheaper and hopefully drive down the cost for members”<br />
T<br />
echnology is a significant threat,<br />
but also a very real opportunity.<br />
The old adage has it that we<br />
dramatically overestimate what impact<br />
technology will have over a two-year<br />
horizon, but dramatically underestimate<br />
the impact over a 10-year horizon.<br />
During the next two years, I think<br />
we’ll see more of the same. Consumer<br />
technologies will continue to come<br />
into the club, and I’d like to see better<br />
integration with all the wearables. The<br />
Apple Watch will be a game changer in<br />
terms of awareness of health and activity<br />
levels, and I’d like to incorporate that<br />
into our plans and offering at GoodLife.<br />
However, 2025 will be a totally<br />
different world: lots of people think<br />
that, by then, there will be more robots<br />
than cellphones and tablets. Robots<br />
may be applied to things like cleaning,<br />
and possibly even some equipment<br />
maintenance, potentially reducing these<br />
ongoing costs. This would make the cost<br />
of running clubs cheaper, and hopefully<br />
drive down the cost for the members.<br />
STEVE<br />
GROVES<br />
GOODLIFE FITNESS:<br />
VP AND CHIEF<br />
INFORMATION OFFICER<br />
For now, technology is focused<br />
on the entertainment side, and here<br />
the industry is playing catch-up with<br />
consumer trends. In my opinion, the<br />
real opportunity lies in taking advantage<br />
of some of the technologies that are<br />
commonplace in the home, such as<br />
Xbox Kinect, and repurposing them for<br />
the industry. This is a relatively low-cost<br />
technology, but the cameras can detect<br />
how active individual muscles are during<br />
exercise, which could be of huge benefi t<br />
to personal trainers for example.<br />
As imaging technology advances, we<br />
need to work out how to make the<br />
most of this opportunity, using it to<br />
supplement what PTs are doing already:<br />
helping clients visualise what the PT is<br />
explaining to them, for example, and at<br />
the same time allowing PTs to work with<br />
half a dozen clients at once.<br />
Heart rate monitors stitched<br />
into clothing is another fascinating<br />
technology, which again presents<br />
opportunities for PTs to create more<br />
personalised exercise programmes.<br />
November/December 2014 © Cybertrek 2014 Read Health Club Management online at healthclubmanagement.co.uk/digital 49
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