Weightlifters trapped in small spaces may soon get more room to swing their guns
Posted 07.01.2008 at 4:24 pm
8 Comments
A 450 square foot shoebox apartment was once a valid exemption from owning fitness equipment (and merely one component of your preemptive exercise avoidance plan). But you soon may have one less excuse for that gut. The Otto-Bench, a concept created by Gabriel Prero, presents the first chink in your oversized armor. The aesthetically pleasing ottoman or coffee table, transforms seamlessly into a weight bench and houses all the required hardware needed to get buff. Sponsored by workout equipment manufacturer Life Fitness, the concept recently won an industrial design competition at the University of Illinois-Chicago.
The Otto-Bench: Gabriel Prero/ Life Fitness
But, don’t put down the remote control quite yet. Life Fitness, which owns the design, has no immediate plans to commercialize or prototype it. The company is not certain there’s enough demand for such urban fitness products (a few comments below might change their mind). The details behind the ‘electronic resistance unit’ would also need to be ironed out and tested. Ironically, the product wouldn’t be the first from the company intended for the health conscious in tight quarters. The F3 folding treadmill minimizes the footprint necessary to take a jog in the comfort of your own pajamas. Should look great next to the dining room table, don’t you think?
Launch the gallery here for a further look at the Otto-Bench.
8 Comments
To comment, please Login.
Download Our iPhone App
Stay up to date on the latest news of the future of science and technology from your iPhone with full articles, images and offline viewing
Grab the Tech Buyer's Guide iPhone App
Carry everything you need to make a smart buy on HDTVs, cameras and 14 other product categories right in your pocket
Follow Us On Twitter
Featuring every article from the magazine and website, plus links from around the Web. Also see our PopSci DIY feed
Become a Fan On Facebook
Share links with friends, comment on stories and more
February 2010: Renovating America
Innovative fixes for five of the country's biggest infrastructure messes, plus a look the quest to read the human mind, the LCD screen that might finally kill paper dead, and the world's scariest science.
Read the issue here.
Popular Science Photo Pool
Popular on Popsci
Most Viewed
Most Commented
Today on PopSci.com
Copyright © 2009 Popular Science
A Bonnier Corporation Company. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.
I think a lot of people would use this it would allow them to work out and have a stylish piece of furniture.
the.nerd.herd.group.googlepages.com
put it on an info-mmercial and everyone and their dog will have one...promise
from Detroit, Texas
that the economy doesn't take a nosedive too badly. but i rather like the idea.
I don't think this would be limited to small apartments. I live in what supposedly is the average size house in the US and this would be perfect. Even people with 2000+ sq ft can have space issues (especially if they have a couple of kids).
My husband and I live in a 1,700 sf house, with no kids, and I would still find this useful and convenient. I agree with knd123--if they put it on an infomercial, it will sell.
Where would I hang my clothes? ;-)
good design is always a good idea. as far as this selling, it all comes down to cost really, if the price is right, consumers will gladly choose the stylish design over the standard equipment. i disagree about the infomercial though, this seems it's targeting a higher class market then would be shopping off of infomercials.
Just what everyone needs. A large, sweat-soaked coffee table. Is there a way to clean it?
Also, Olympic benches have to have a certain distance between the upright supports, in order for the counter-weights to work. That distance is much wider than shoulder width. I don't see how this meets that criteria. There was something that looked Olympic sized on the website, but it had a seperate bench.
This just seems like something meant to do two jobs in a mediocre fashion.