Pocket-sized and portable are the buzzwords in technology as is evident from the US gadget brand, Infrascan, creating a pocket-sized CT scanner earlier this month. Hopefully, one will not have to use this scanner ever, but here’s another gadget that can easily fit into your pocket—a gym.
That’s a strike on literally every excuse not to exercise. The pocket gym, which looks like a bedside alarm clock, can mimic any sort of exercise equipment you need.
While the idea was originally to make it travel-friendly, it’s gaining popularity for also being a practical alternative for those who live in small apartments and hostels. The PUMP comes from the stable of the US-based Unitree Robotic, the company best-known for its innovative quadruped ‘robot dog’ design.
The PUMP is a handheld device that contains a motor and a microcontroller board that can be strapped to door frames, railings, or even the floor. It imitates working with weights and can be used for general full-body exercises, HIIT routines, and even core workouts.
So what all can one pump? Cable leg extensions, dumbbell front raise, curls, barbell curls, dumbbell lateral raise, cable woodchoppers, seated cable row cable fly and more. Fun fact: The mechanical energy stored within the PUMP from exercising gets translated into electrical energy, which can be used to charge
your mobile phone.
The Unitree PUMP pairs along with its companion smartphone app which lets you choose from more than 100 free tutorials on how to use the equipment to target various parts of your body. Apart from recommending exercises, the app lets you set the resistance, helps track your reps, and even counts your calories, giving you an overall breakdown of your workout.
The app also gamifies the process of exercising with a built-in fitness game that enhances your weight training experience and gives suggestions on new ways of using it. For instance, one can turn the equipment into a rowing machine, paddle machine, smith machine, or leg extension curl machine.
Fitness aficionados even combine two of these and a pair of floor-mounted suction cups to simulate training on barbells. Each PUMP consists of a power cable, storage pouch, and accessories like a door anchor, extension rope, annular fitting belt, ankle strap, pull-rope handle, and a safety buckle.
The PUMP weighs 700 gm, but is capable of outputting resistance nearly 30 times its weight. The price starts at $159 and it can be bought on kickstarter.com