An interesting new app called Fitness AR is taking advantage of one of iOS 11’s hot new features to help athletes visualize their workouts in a completely new and unique way. The software combines data collected by the popular Strava fitness platform with Apple’s new ARKit application programming interface (API) to create augmented reality maps that display running, cycling, and hiking routes on a 3D image. That image is then projected onto a table or other flat surface when the viewer examines it using an iPhone or iPad screen, making it look like an actual topographic model is sitting in front of them.
Fitness AR is one of the first apps that utilizes ARKit to hit the App Store. The software requires users to link their Strava login with the app, essentially giving it permission to download and analyze past and future workout data. That data includes the GPS coordinates of the route taken while running, cycling, or hiking. Those GPS points are then plotted on a terrain map powered by Mapbox, which is displayed using the ARKit APIs as a 3D image that can be viewed from nearly any angle.
The developers behind Fitness AR say that even if you don’t have a Strava account, you can still enjoy the app. It comes loaded with a number of famous cycling routes for instance, including rides up Alpe d’Huez and Mount Ventoux, two of the more notorious climbs from the Tour de France. The app even includes detailed maps of places like Yosemite Valley, giving users an opportunity to explore the terrain there prior to setting out on a hiking or backpacking trip.
The app is also equipped with built-in tools that make it easy to share your 3D maps. Not only will Fitness AR take screenshots of the data it is displaying, users can also record short videos of the route. Those videos can then be uploaded to social media outlets to not only brag about the workout itself, but also the cool way the data is displayed.
Fitness AR is available now from the App Store for $2.99.
