Imagine being able to work out while enjoying a cruise on the Seine. This is the idea behind the Paris Navigating Gym project from the Italian firm Carlo Ratti Associati. The sleek, 20-meter-long fitness vessel would have glass walls and carry up to 45 people. Passengers on cross trainers and pedaling spin bikes would power the boat along the river.
“It’s fascinating to see how the energy generated by a workout at the gym can actually help propel a boat,” said Carlo Ratti. The vessel’s design is similar to the traditional Bateaux Mouches that have been carrying tourists on the Seine for decades.
Augmented-reality screens would show guests the amount of energy derived from their workouts and environmental data, tracked in real-time by sensors incorporated into the boat. Developed in collaboration with fitness equipment manufacturer Technogym, the non-profit architecture group Terreform ONE and the urban regeneration institute URBEM, the project could be implemented in other cities, too.
