Peloton Row Patent Hints at Future Gaming & Augmented Reality,

Today, the patent application for the Peloton Row (also known as the Peloton Rower) was made public. The Peloton Row has been in people’s homes for nearly six months, so much of what the patent discusses is already known. However, the patent does give hints about some other ideas that were considered for the Row and could be seen in the future. These include buttons on the rowing handles and possibilities of gaming or augmented reality.

One interesting point the Peloton Row patent suggests is the potential for future games or virtual reality experiences on the rower (remember, just because something is mentioned in a patent doesn’t guarantee it will be in the final product). The patent’s introduction mentions this possibility:

For instance, the user interface might show live or recorded classes, video guides for activities, online games, augmented reality settings, leaderboards, and other competitive or interactive elements. It could also track progress using time, distance, and other measures.

Later in the patent, both games and virtual environments are brought up again:

The exercise content system (located on servers away from the user) can offer different content collections like classes, movements, tutorials, games, and virtual environments. This system streams content to the rowing machine, media hub, or user interface over the network.

Up to now, Peloton has only introduced gaming to the Peloton Bike through the Lanebreak game. However, it’s possible they might bring Lanebreak to the Tread and Row as well. Peloton has also mentioned exploring various video game modes and has been hiring employees with gaming experience.

Another detail confirmed by images and text in the patent application is that Peloton was thinking about adding buttons to the handles of the Peloton Row for controlling different aspects of the rower.

The image below, from the patent application, clearly displays buttons on the Peloton Row handles:

These images reveal a directional pad select button and binary up-down buttons that could potentially control volume or navigation on screens.

The patent itself also describes these buttons:

The handle could have controls like buttons on its curved surface. It might also have a docking system with a charging component. For instance, this docking system could include a charging and identification component, like a 4x pogo pin, or a sensor that detects when the handle is docked. Additionally, there could be a charging port located on one end of the handle, along with extra controls or buttons.

We shared a rumor last year about the possibility of controls and buttons on the Peloton Row handle. However, before the rower was released, we noted that the initial version available to members wouldn’t have these controls or buttons on the handle.

Bob Treemore, who reported on this new Peloton Row patent, also provided images highlighting the buttons.

Another recent patent application from Peloton also discusses handles for both the Peloton Row and Bike.

Does augmented/virtual reality gaming appeal to you as potential features for the Peloton Row?

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