We can't decide if this is a brilliant innovation which will change the face of exercise, or a complete waste of time. It's probably both.
Norwegian firm Activetainment have unveiled their new fitness bike, the Ebove B1, which comes with its own built in tablet, wifi and bluetooth, together with elements such as brakes and gears in order to turn the mundane boredom of an exercise bike into a daring ride across some beautiful scenery, or a dash round a velodrome. Its key feature is the ability to combine it with Oculus Rift to create a fully virtual biking experience, including the option to ride alongside friends, remotely, via the internet - they can ride alongside you from the comfort of their own home.
While this all sounds great, surely it's just easier (and a lot more fun) to just go outside on a real bike? And maybe meet your friends in actual reality? Maybe we'll all be plugging into the matrix in a few years' time and no one will ever leave their houses or speak to each other again.
Nonetheless, where it really could come into its own is for a biking game though, rather than a countryside ride. Check out the video below to see the concept in action and decide for yourselves.
[via Kotaku]