The patent application for the Peloton Row (Peloton Rower) was published today. With the Row having been in members homes for almost half a year, most of what the patent describes is fairly well known. However, the patent does hint at some other things that were considered for the Row or that might be seen in the future – including buttons on the row handles and hints of gaming or augmented reality.
One item the Peloton Row patent hints at is future games or virtual reality on the Peloton Row (of course, as always just because something is mentioned in a patent doesn’t mean it will be used in a final production model). The introduction of the patent mentions both of these, saying:
For example, the user interface can present live or recorded classes, video tutorials of activities, online or interactive games, augmented reality environments, leaderboards and other competitive or interactive features, progress indicators (e.g., via time, distance, and other metrics), and so on.
Later on, both games & virtual environments are mentioned again:
The exercise content system 135, located at one or more servers remote from the user 105, can include various content libraries (e.g., classes, movements, tutorials, games, virtual environments, and so on) and perform functions to stream or otherwise send content to the machine 110, the media hub 120, and/or the user interface 125 over the network 130.
Peloton has so far only rolled out gaming to the Peloton Bike with the Peloton Lanebreak video game. However, one could see them porting Lanebreak to both the Tread & Row. In addition, Peloton has said they are working on different video game modes as well. Peloton also continues to hire new employees with experience in gaming.
Another item that images and text from the patent application confirm is that Peloton was considering and/or testing having buttons on the handle of the Peloton Row for controlling various aspects of the rower.
The below image was contained in the patent application, clearly showing buttons on the Peloton Row handles:
The images show a directional pad select button, as well as binary up-down buttons that could be use for volume controls or moving forward and back on screens.
Buttons are also described in the patent application itself, saying:
The handle 214 can include one or more may have controls 415, such as buttons, on a curved surface, as well as a docking system 425 with a charging component. For example, the docking system 425 can include a 4x pogo pin for charging and handle identification and/or a hall effect sensor or other sensor that detects when the handle 214 is docked. The handle 214 can also include a charging port 417 located on an end of the handle 214 (or, additional controls or buttons).
We had shared a rumor last year that the Peloton Row handle may have controls and buttons on it. However, before the rower was released, we shared that the first version of the Rower that would be for sale to members would not have controls or buttons on the handle.
Bob Treemore reported on this new Peloton Row patent, and shared some additional images with the buttons highlighted.
A second recent Peloton patent application also talks about handles on the Peloton Row, as well as well as on the Peloton Bike.
Would gaming or augmented/virtual reality be something you’d like to see on the Peloton Row?
Support the site! Enjoy the news & guides we provide? Help us keep bringing you the news. Pelo Buddy is completely free, but you can help support the site with a one-time or monthly donation that will go to our writers, editors, and more. Find out more details here.
Get Our Newsletter Want to be sure to never miss any Peloton news? Sign up for our newsletter and get all the latest Peloton updates & Peloton rumors sent directly to your inbox.
Leave a Reply