AUGMENTED REALITY
Refining augmented reality London boutique The Refinery has created an avatar-led digital fitness offering called ALFI, which utilises augmented reality (AR) to demonstrate movements. Zoe Bertali, one of the co-founders of the gym, tells us more
Where did the idea for ALFI come from? In 2018, boutique fitness was booming, but it seemed to be London-centric and we wanted to bring the experience to other locations in the UK. We were at the time considering the possibility of opening more bricks and mortar sites, however we believed that in order to really grow our brand and reach more people, we needed to move into the digital space. We also wanted to be able to offer huge amounts of classes very quickly at the touch of a button. With the logic and method we have created, we can bring a new discipline to the app with hundreds of classes in around 6-8 weeks. Live video filming of this type of content would take much longer.
Zoe Bertali, co-founder of The Refiner
Why do you think an avatar is a great way to deliver fitness instruction?
under the pressure and that mental health
In the age of endless selfies, people are under
issues, stress and depression are on the rise.
pressure to look ‘perfect’, live their ‘best’
Although some people may be inspired by apps
life, always be ‘busy’, do the latest exercise
showing the perfect body doing the perfect yoga
in the coolest places, be seen constantly,
or fitness practice, for most it is unattainable and
experience everything, eat this, don’t eat
inaccessible. With Refine with ALFI, it’s what’s
that… It’s no wonder people are crumbling
inside that counts – the glow comes from within!
42 fittechglobal.com
2 2021
