Central Florida students are researching the future of fitness.
Echelon Fitness Multimedia LLC and Full Sail University on May 24 opened an on-campus lab where students will participate in research on Echelon’s high-tech, connected fitness machines. Named the Full Sail University Fitness Technology Lab Powered by Echelon Fit, the 660-square-foot space lets Echelon further the pioneering fitness technology work it began in Orlando in 2020 while giving opportunities to Full Sail students.
In fact, there are four upcoming Echelon projects Full Sail students will work on, Rebecca Leis, computer science bachelor’s program manager, told Orlando Inno. One includes integrating third-party streaming services like Netflix and Spotify with the screens on Echelon’s rowing machines. Another involves establishing a non-wifi mode on Echelon’s 50-inch touchscreen “smart mirror.”
To learn more about the lab, check out the gallery above.
These student groups working in the lab are mostly computer science students, but that’s going to expand in the coming months to include students in other disciplines like game design, IT and security, said Leis, who is also program manager for the mobile development bachelor’s program and the mobile gaming master’s program.
Of course, Full Sail wants to pitch its own project ideas to Echelon as well, Leis said. That includes using augmented and virtual reality to make a rowing machine user feel like they’re rowing in a lake.
The lab, which is primarily a place to demo the projects students are coding and designing across campus, provides real-world learning experiences to Full Sail students, said Echelon co-founder and Chief Product Officer John Santo.
Meanwhile, it may open up job opportunities for students at Chattanooga, Tennessee-based Echelon’s growing Orlando team of 40 employees, Leis added. “Echelon is always asking for more and more students,” she said.
The Echelon lab adds to the 880,000 square feet of media production facilities and lab space on the Winter Park university’s 210-acre campus. Other facilities include a Smart Lab, a maker space-like Fab Lab, a VR/AR Lab and a virtual production studio.
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