As the popularity of senior-exclusive gyms incorporating artificial intelligence (AI) technology rises, the activation of the health community among seniors at the Gangnam-gu Nonhyeon Senior Welfare Center’s ‘Smart Fitness Center’ has been actively progressing since its opening.
Gangnam-gu has become the first in Korea to fully introduce AI-based smart exercise equipment from the renowned domestic healthcare company Ronpic, aiming to prevent frailty and sarcopenia among the elderly.
According to officials, the biggest advantage of the AI-based health equipment is that each machine is equipped with a monitor that allows users to perform strength training while viewing graphs. Park Jong-won, director of the Nonhyeon Senior Welfare Center, expressed satisfaction, saying, “Ronpic’s AI-based health equipment automatically adjusts the weight according to the strength of the seniors, enabling customized exercise tailored to their condition, which makes it extremely safe.”
Lee Ki-soon (70), a senior health volunteer at the Nonhyeon Senior Welfare Center, also shared, “Most seniors prefer to do what they are good at, so they enjoy upper body exercises more comfortably than lower body ones. However, the Ronpic machines, based on isokinetic principles, allow balanced use of pushing and supporting forces, which has increased seniors’ satisfaction with lower body workouts.”
The senior smart gym currently operates with a total of three courses: a strength training zone consisting of seven AI-based upper and lower body exercise machines; a health measurement zone that evaluates individual seniors’ body fat, muscle mass, and medical history to provide customized exercise prescriptions; and a stretching zone where seniors relax their bodies through bands and gymnastics after strength training.
Meanwhile, Gangnam-gu plans to reorganize the functions and structures of welfare centers and senior citizen centers frequently visited by the elderly into multifunctional convenience facilities where they can enjoy exercise and leisure activities.
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