With exercise equipment, there’s a definite lack of aesthetic thinking when it comes to the design portions of the devices. The Munich design group LUNAR Europe set out to change that with their line of “active furniture,” built for designer homes. Their goal: to combine sculpture, technology, and design, while also providing function.
Their first crack at creating aesthetically pleasing furniture that doubles as exercise equipment is the Nova boulder training wall. Traditionally, rock walls feature colored holds on regular training walls that attempt to mimic real boulders. LUNAR Europe’s Nova consists of panels with pattern-cut-outs that offer a variety of difficulty levels and climbing routes, and features ambient lights that highlight specific holds.
Inside of the holds are sensors that record and analyze how climbers are doing; these can be accessed using the smartphone application that comes with Nova walls. Users can also select routes based on difficulty and length that are highlighted in the panels by the lights.
In addition to the exercising functionality, the app allows users to use the ambient lights as actual mood lighting. It appears that there are a variety of colors and intensities, though we’re not sure how many colors are available. We also couldn’t find any information on whether or not LUNAR Europe will be releasing the Nova for sale, or if it’s just conceptual work — they don’t specify on their website. Either way, it’s cool!
