Is your lackadaisical Netflix and Chill routine preventing you from keeping an active and healthy lifestyle? Then the Cycflix might be what you need.
Developed by engineering student Ronan Byrne, the Cyxflix is an exercise-powered home entertainment system that takes the guilt out of binge-watching your favorite shows by working your ass off for the right to see them.
The DIY cross-trainer works in a simple way: Fill in your workout routine, select the movie or show you want to see, and the device will load up the title in Netflix. Once you start training and reach your desired tempo, the show will start streaming. But should you fall below your desired rhythm, Cyxflix will cut off the fun.
Byrne has uploaded footage where you can see the smart cross-trainer in action:
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To program the Cycflix in this manner, the recreational inventor installed an Arduino Nano board on a standard stationary exercise bike and loaded it up with a custom-written Python script. The device was programmed to allow users to choose their own pace and goals.
Among other things, users can select the length of the workout, the resting periods, the minimum exercise intensity as well as the total number of sets.
The system will then monitor your activity and give you warnings if you’re struggling to keep up the cadence. Once you’ve fallen behind, the Cycflix will display a warning and proceed to cut off your entertainment unless you step the pace up.
Those interested in this quirky solution can build their own smart cross-trainer.
Byrne has summed up the steps in a detailed guidepost you can find on Instructibles. He has also open-sourced the code for the user interface on GitHub.
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