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TECHNOLOGY THEPHUKETNEWS.COM FRIDAY, JUNE 24, 2016 thephuketnews 18 T he mental barriers holding you back from getting into shape are numerous. Every- one wants to get into shape, but many lack the confidence, the time, or simply just don’t know how to get started with joining a yoga class or signing up for gym membership. Don’t you worry. Smartphones and applications really are the answer to everything. These five exercise applications will help set even the laziest boys and girls fitness regime into motion by pushing, prodding and encouraging. Unleashing your inner gym bunny has never been easier! Human Available for iPhone, Android Human is a clever little app that clocks all movement both indoors and out. All activity tracked by Human counts towards a daily goal of 30 min- utes in motion, or 60 to 90 minutes if you are feeling ambitious. On particu- larly lazy and lethargic days, the app automatically prods the user to get moving. Human is a great starter app for anyone looking to be more active without committing to a repetitive fit- ness routine. More info human.co Couch to 5K Available for iPhone, Android Couch potatoes, do not feel intimi- dated. Couch to 5K may sound a bit scary, especially if you enjoy the couch spectrum of things, but this app’s train- ing regimen starts off easy and gradu- ally increases the run time from one training session to the next. Prompted by audio cues from a personal trainer, runners are encouraged to give the ex- tra push and go a little further than the previous session. Novice runners who stick to the program can expect to com- plete a 5K circuit within nine weeks. More info c25k.com Your phone is where you’ll be heading to break sweat Johnson & Johnson 7 Minute Workout Available for iPhone, Android Seven minutes of exercise produces impressive results, science says. John- son & Johnson 7 Minute Workout fea- tures a high-intensity workout with easy to follow instructions and a sleek interface. The workout is not easy for beginners, but worth a try. After all, it is only seven minutes! More info 7minuteworkout.jnj.com RockMyRun Available for iPhone, Android RockMyRun is an app for those who love music and also enjoy running. APPLICATION ABCS Amy Bensema [email protected] Application ABCs is a new column highlight- ing the latest in tech, social media and mobile phone applications for your life. RockMyRun arranges music mixes by tempo so that the beat aligns with a runner’s pace. An easy jog starts off at 120 beats per minute while a hard run is 150 beats per minute. Android users must change the tempo manually, but iPhone users are able to use tempos that sync automatically. More info rockmyrun.com Fitocracy Available for iPhone, Android Fitocracy provides the competitive edge of the gym. Points are awarded for each workout recorded, badges for reaching milestones and bragging rights on its social network of more than one million dedicated users. Through the app it is also possible to hire a personal trainer for motivation, fitness and nutritional advice for an af- fordable fee of $1 per day. More info fitocracy.com Whatever your fitness motivation, these apps are well worth looking into to get you moving a bit more. Exercise applications for the lazy Olli, a 3D-printed, self-driving minibus, to hit the road A new maker of self-driving vehicles burst onto the scene Thursday last week (June 16) in partnership with IBM’s supercomputer platform Wat- son, and it’s ready to roll right now. The vehicle – a 3D-printed minibus called “Olli” capable of carrying 12 people – was unveiled by Arizona-based startup Local Motors outside the US capital city Washington. Olli was designed as an on-demand transportation solution that passengers can summon with a mobile app, like Uber rides. And it can be “printed” to specification in “micro factories” in a matter of hours. Olli will be demonstrated in Nation- al Harbor, Maryland, over the next few months with additional trials expected in Las Vegas and Miami. Local Motors is also in talks to test the vehicles in dozens of cities around the world includ- ing Berlin, Copenhagen and Canberra. Even though Google and several automakers see several years of test- ing before deploying au- tonomous cars, Local Mo- tors co-founder and chief executive John Rogers said this vehicle is ready to go into service as soon as regulations allow it. By “fielding”, Rogers said Local Motors can design and make the ve- hicles to specification and offer a service to local governments or other buyers. “Local Motors is about selling (the vehicles) into the markets that are ready now,” he said. Rogers said the company has an ad- vantage over other systems because it is building the vehicles from the ground up, and producing most components with 3D printers. “We hope to be able to print this ve- hicle in about 10 hours and assemble it in another hour,” he said. He envisions hundreds of “micro- factories” producing the vehicles around the world. The privately held company with about 45 investors can easily revamp its design based on what a customer wants, and lacks the large infrastruc- ture costs of traditional automakers, according to Rogers. The driving is controlled by a system developed by Local Motors with several software and tech partners. IBM is not doing the driving but is providing the user interface so passengers can have “conversations” with Olli. The vehicle relies on more than 30 sensors and streams of data from IBM’s cloud. It marks IBM’s first venture in fully autonomous driving, although it has worked with other automotive part- ners on technology solutions. AFP Olli in Maryland, USA (Photo: Mandel Ngan/AFP).
