Fitbit Alta, a slim, sleek fitness wristband that can be personalized to fit your style, on display on Feb. 2, 2016 in New York City. (Photo : Getty Images for FitBit/Dave Kotinsky)
Last October, Nintendo had announced its intention to enter the healthcare business and now some new patents filed by the Japanese multinational consumer electronic company shows that it may already be working on a new fitness device.
Nintendo reportedly filed the patent in Japan via the JPO/INPUT and it was filed with the World Intellectual Property Organization on Sept. 18, 2015. The filing was made public on April 22.
The new Nintendo patent dubbed as "training implement, training system and input device" corroborates other reports that the company is working on a wellness or fitness device, according to a NeoGaf posting by user Rosti describing the fitness controller as a hollow device whose body is made of an aluminum alloy.
The purported fitness controller Nintendo is said to be working on is expected to incorporate a gyrometer, an accelerometer, temperature sensor in addition to a load sensor. The device, as per the design leaked online, will have a U-shape or the form of a horseshoe.
The WIPO patent filing displays several diagrams and sketches demonstrating various exercises with the fitness controller. In addition, the patent filing also shows a sketch of what seems to be a grip-strengthening add-on. Some translations in the paten filing talk about "portable terminals," which are meant to connect the gadget.
Being U-shaped, the controller has two ends, which can compute grip strength and acceleration. Precisely speaking, when the user exerts force to bring the two ends closer to each other or applies force to take apart the two grips of the device, its load sensor detects the force applied, Tech Insider reported.
On diagram in the patent filing shows a device which can slide over one end of the fitness controller and be squeezed. It is expected that this will be employed together with the load sensors of the controllers. There are several mentions of the issue that a person can use the controller while sitting on a balance ball or while bending giving credence to the belief that the patent is related to a fitness-related device.
Most tech enthusiasts are aware that Nintendo plans to launch a new console, codenamed "NX," later this year. It is possible that this purported fitness/ wellness controller will be marketed with a new edition of "Wii Fit," a hugely popular game for the Wii and Wii U that aims to help users attain their fitness goals.
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