Jinjae Kim from the Department of Marine Sports at Pukyong National University has developed an indoor kayak exercise device and succeeded in domestic production.
[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Se-ryeong Lee] The day to enjoy the water sport kayak, which glides smoothly over the water, indoors is fast approaching.
Jinjae Kim from the Department of Marine Sports at the National Pukyong National University in Busan has succeeded in domesticating the development of an indoor kayak exercise device.
Last year, Kim developed indoor simulators ‘Impactrak K-1’ and ‘Impactrak S-1’, founded a company called MarineX, and made the first sales by selling six units.
The developed products are equipped with rolling seats and air fans, recreating an exercise environment similar to actual sea conditions, allowing marine sports to be enjoyed indoors.
Kim is a marine sports enthusiast who majored in marine sports and holds various related certifications such as lifeguarding and powered water leisure equipment operation.
Having fallen in love with kayaking after trying it with his father who enjoys kayaking, he developed the ‘Impactrak K-1’ for kayaks and ‘Impactrak S-1’ for paddleboards with the hope of enjoying kayaking indoors as well.
Although kayak exercise devices existed before, most were expensive imported products from countries like the United States and Germany, making it burdensome for businesses or individuals to purchase and use them.
Kim’s products are priced at about 2 to 2.5 million KRW, roughly half the price of existing products, and feature rolling seats that vividly simulate the shaking of the boat caused by waves and wind in the actual sea, providing a more realistic experience than before.
He also developed the Impactrak app that can be used in conjunction with the products, offering a system where users can monitor their exercise volume and intensity and share exercise records with other users.
With support from the Korea Sports Promotion Foundation’s 2021 Sports Industry Startup Support and Leap Center Project, six prototypes were produced and sold to marine sports companies such as kayak dealerships at a demonstration event for kayak enthusiasts.
On the 17th of next month, the products will be showcased at the Seoul International Sports Leisure Industry Exhibition held at COEX in Seoul.
Jinjae Kim said, “It will help popularize kayaking by allowing people to train or exercise indoors anytime and learn boarding methods in advance,” adding, “We plan to continue researching and developing products so that more people can feel the charm of kayaking and to explore not only the domestic but also overseas markets.”
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