Flying in virtual reality while working on your fitness – sounds too good to be true? The Munich-based VR fitness device ICAROS is causing amazement and excitement at trade fairs and events. Hype or real innovation: What's the truth behind it? ICAROS?
The Munich-based company cannot currently complain about a lack of attention: The company was selected as one of the top 7 startups at the Pioneers Festival, received a Honorable Mention Brandnew has won the prestigious RedDot design award, is the overall winner of ISPO, is nominated for the German Design Award, and took second place in the FIBO Innovation & Trend Award. Large companies adorn themselves with branded ICAROS devices for marketing purposes. Samsung is demonstrating its Gear VR virtual reality headset with the fitness device. The Munich-based startup can be found at EXPO in Milan, WIRED in London, CES in Las Vegas, CeBIT in Hanover, SXSW in Austin, and starting today at gamescom in Cologne. And all of this in just one year. Where does the hype come from?
This question is quickly answered as soon as you lie on the ICAROS. The device is freely movable both lengthwise and crosswise. The user's shins and forearms rest on the device, and balance is maintained in the so-called Planking position through your own body tension. Wearing VR headsets, you fly over a landscape, controlling your flight by shifting your center of gravity. Maintaining your balance is real physical work.
Everything seems coherent and robust. The design is appealing, the VR experience is impressive and fun. Above all, the flight is really strenuous. You feel like you're doing something for your fitness. In short: The product simply seems to justify the hype. You can see the enthusiasm of its inventors in the fitness device.
From design draft to functioning ICAROS prototype
The company was founded by Johannes Scholl (29) and Michael Schmidt (49), both industrial designers. The startup is a spin-off of the Munich-based innovation agency HYVE. Michael Schmidt launched HYVE 15 years ago, and Johannes Scholl completed an internship at the agency in 2011. Back then, the two had the initial idea for ICAROS and designed the first drafts on the computer. Looking back, Scholl says:
"We wanted to build a fitness device that conveys a very special feeling. For us, that was humanity's dream of flying. And from a technical perspective, it was clear: we could only achieve this with virtual reality."
At first, however, the two didn't consider it a reality. VR headsets were still a thing of the future at the time. Accordingly, it initially began as a fun project for the founders on weekends and after-work hours. An initial design looked more like Iron Man's suit than today's device, Scholl explains:
"The first ICAROS was a design concept—Future Studies. We thought: Maybe virtual reality will come along one day, and then we'll do it. We couldn't have imagined at the time that it would actually happen a year and a half later."
“People freaked out”
After the first virtual reality headsets became available as developer versions, the founders seized their opportunity and built a prototype using an early version of the Oculus Rift. In May 2015, they presented it to the public at the Re:Publica digital conference in Berlin. The response was enormous, with hundreds of visitors wanting to try out the VR flying machine:
“People went crazy and thought it was totally awesome.”
Following the positive response, Scholl and Schmidt decided to bring the device to market. They founded ICAROS GmbH as a subsidiary of HYVE. The founders are keeping quiet about the exact shareholder structure:
“Just this much: We are all happy.”
The young company was able to get started right from the start, says co-founder Michael Schmidt:
"Through our work at HYVE, we knew the right people. We had the connections and the network to build a product consisting of highly complex mechanics and its own electronics and software. Even when we started, we knew who would assemble the circuit boards for us and who would build the prototypes."
The network consists primarily of established medium-sized companies. All production takes place in Germany: The devices are manufactured in the Allgäu region, the electronics come from Düsseldorf, and the housings from Nuremberg. At the various trade fairs and events where the startup presented its prototypes, over 3,000 testers tried out the device: including tech enthusiasts, fitness experts, therapists, and gamers. Their feedback was incorporated into further development.
ICAROS reached series production readiness a few months ago: Since April of this year, the company has been delivering devices to its customers, especially fitness studios.
New devices, new target groups, new gaming worlds
The founders see the future of their company in a growing product range with devices for different applications, says Schmidt:
"We have devices in mind that start at an affordable market price and then go well over 15,000 euros. These would far exceed the capabilities of the current model in terms of physical stress."
Fitness studios will remain an important target group in the future. In parallel, the startup is also developing an exercise bike that users can assemble themselves after delivery. The company is targeting a retail price of €7,500 for the fitness studios, with the exercise bike costing around a third of that. The gaming experience is also set to evolve. An underwater world is already in the planning stages, and a platform for external software developers is also being considered. The two founders are currently testing a new multiplayer mode:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYtYcn4–yc
Discussions with physiotherapists revealed further possible applications and target groups: The ICAROS could support work in rehabilitation clinics, for example, in the mobilization of stroke patients or in the physiotherapy of athletes. Initial trials are underway, Schmidt explains, adding:
"These are still experiments, of course. But we don't want to rule out the possibility that we might offer specialized therapy devices in the future."
A device is currently in use by sports scientists at the Technical University of Munich. They are taking measurements and want to measure and quantify the effects of training with ICAROS: Which muscle groups are targeted, how many calories are burned? Starting at the end of August, the Cologne Sports University will also begin its own tests.
The next step will be to grow the team and ramp up production of the current device. Demand shouldn't be a problem, in any case. We wouldn't be surprised to see the ICAROS appearing more frequently in gyms, offices, hobby rooms, and living rooms soon.
