A man who previously lost 65 pounds by turning exercise into a video game is returning to his unusual fitness setup after regaining weight.
The creator, who posts online as VisionByVin, built a racing setup that allows him to control a video game by pedalling an exercise bike, combining gaming with cardio in an effort to make working out more engaging.
He said the idea came after struggling to remain interested in conventional exercise, even when attempting to play games while using his stationary bike.
While playing Need for Speed, he began wondering whether the bike itself could control the game.
After researching different approaches online, he found one project involving an Xbox controller connected to a bike and another that used a camera to detect pedalling movements.
Not knowing how to build the software himself, he turned to ChatGPT.
According to the creator, he asked the AI to write a script that monitored his camera and triggered the W key on his keyboard whenever movement was detected.
That effectively allowed his physical movement on the bike to control acceleration in the racing game.
He said he originally built the system more than a year ago and used it during a previous fitness journey that saw his weight fall from approximately 215 pounds to 150 pounds.
However, he later regained weight.
Now, he has brought the unusual setup back as he begins another attempt to get into shape, this time documenting the process and inviting viewers to follow his progress.
The project offers a simple example of AI being used to solve a highly personal problem: making exercise entertaining enough for someone to actually want to keep doing it.
Rather than eliminating the work involved in exercising, his AI-assisted system turns that work into part of the game.
Article and image source: tiktok.com
