Whether you are training for a swim meet or use the sport just to improve your personal physical fitness, swimming alone can get pretty boring. Without another swimmer going head-to-head against you in the next lane, you might not have that extra push of motivation to give each stroke all you have.

Swimmers no longer have to worry about working out alone, because Microsoft Research is working on a new project to make sure you always have someone to swim with.

The project, dubbed SwimTrain, turns water workouts into a game as users virtually compete against other swimmers.

Being developed in partnership with Microsoft Research Asia and the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (Kaist), SwimTrain consists of an app, waterproof smartphone case and headphones that can be worn underwater.

"It uses all the great tech packed into your mobile phone to evaluate your progress, coordinate with your team, and provide sensory feedback, keeping your 'train' running, and keeping you entertained, all while getting fit," Microsoft writes.

Microsoft SwimTrain works by allowing swimmers to choose to race against an opposing team or join a virtual team. If the user is virtually competing against someone else, they will be provided with auditory feedback in the headphones that lets them know where their opponent is. This turns swimming into an "exogame," where the user will want to come out the winner.

If the user joins a virtual team, SwimTrain provides feedback that helps the swimmer stay in sync with everyone else. The swimmers in the group are mapped into virtual train cars using their stroke rate. Swimmers can then pace themselves as they go through three different phases: a competitive phase to push themselves, a cooperative phase to stay in time with the group and a rest phase. Each swimmer is given the information from the swimmer ahead of them and behind them so they aren't bombarded by too much and can concentrate on what is most relevant to them.

SwimTrain's prototype has been tested on study participants who reported to finding that it made them more motivated to work hard, to find a strategy to win and turned solo swimming into a social experience.

There are currently no details about a public release of SwimTrain.

Photo: D Allen | Flickr

Source: Ubergizmo