Samsung’s GEMS exoskeleton is now an ‘immersive workout experience’

Remember the G.E.M.S. (Gait Enhancing and Motivation System) exoskeleton Samsung introduced last year? Plot-twist. It’s a workout device now. One of the weirdest elements of a super-weird keynote was actually a fascinating pivot.

I wore a prototype of the device last year, which offered both walking assistance and resistance. The latter is what’s at play here, with the robotic wearable giving you increasingly difficult workouts.

Taking a stroll with Samsung’s robotic exoskeleton

That pairs with AR glasses and a handset, giving you a creepy ass AR workout instructor. Like Ballie before it — not to mention all of the different Samsung robotic offerings — the exoskeleton is still in its very early stages. Keep in mind, the theme of the night was “Age of Experience,” meaning that basically everything we saw tonight was conceptual. 

After 1-on-1 training with #GEMS, workout results are aggregated and analyzed to provide professional feedback. #CES2020 #SamsungCES2020 pic.twitter.com/e5GJRNu9Jh

— Samsung US Newsroom (@SamsungNewsUS) January 7, 2020

In Samsung’s defense, this application could provide a clearer revenue path. There are already a number of companies vying for the assistive wearable exoskeleton category. Samsung is potentially going after an even larger portion of the population, essentially serving as an at-home gym. Though if and when such a device does come to market, it’s likely going to be a lot more than a monthly gym subscription.