Peloton Bets Big on Body-Tracking
Uncanny Valley | WIRED8 Huhti 2022

Peloton Bets Big on Body-Tracking

Peloton has had a turbulent couple of years. After the ups and downs of the pandemic economy came a rash of bad press spurned by a series of tragic product accidents. The resulting stock dips and executive shake-ups put the fitness tech company's future in flux. But now, Peloton is trying something new. Or at least new-ish. The Peloton Guide is a device with a camera that sits on your TV and monitors your workout. (Just don't call it a Kinect.) It's far more modest than Peloton's large, fancy stationary bikes and treadmills, and something Peloton hopes will lure in more subscribers. Still, it's another bet on our continued interest in at-home workouts—a market that may not be as robust as Peloton hoped it was.

This week on Gadget Lab, WIRED executive editor Brian Barrett joins us for a conversation about Peloton's newest product and the company's future.

Show Notes:

Read Lauren’s story about the new Peloton Guide. Here’s Adrienne So’s review of the Guide.

Recommendations:

Brian recommends the novel Middlemarch by George Eliot. Lauren recommends the Apple TV+ show WeCrashed. Mike recommends the memoir The History of Bones by John Lurie.

Brian Barrett can be found on Twitter @brbarrett. Lauren Goode is @LaurenGoode. Michael Calore is @snackfight. Bling the main hotline at @GadgetLab. The show is produced by Boone Ashworth (@booneashworth). Our theme music is by Solar Keys.

Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Jaksot(428)

The Very Real Case for Brain-Computer Implants

The Very Real Case for Brain-Computer Implants

Brain computer interfaces might have inspired works of science fiction, but the technology behind them is real and quickly developing. Companies like Synchron and Neuralink are racing to build a model...

24 Heinä 202532min

What’s Behind Gen Z’s Sex Recession?

What’s Behind Gen Z’s Sex Recession?

In today’s episode, we look into why Gen Z is having less sex than other generations — and what it says about how we are all relating to each other. WIRED’s Zoë Schiffer is joined by writer and journa...

18 Heinä 202523min

How WIRED Analyzed the Epstein Video

How WIRED Analyzed the Epstein Video

Last week, the DOJ released what they described as raw footage from the night of Jeffrey Epstein's death in 2019. WIRED’s Dhruv Mehrotra went through the metadata and found that it had been, in fact, ...

17 Heinä 202540min

DOGE 2.0

DOGE 2.0

After Elon Musk’s departure from D.C, the future of the so-called Department of Government Efficiency seemed uncertain. But DOGE’s work continues unabated — its influence spreading farther and deeper ...

11 Heinä 202523min

You Asked, We Answered: All of Your AI Angst

You Asked, We Answered: All of Your AI Angst

This week, Lauren dives into the show’s inbox to answer listeners’ questions. With the help of WIRED’s Kate Knibbs and Paresh Dave, we look into a range of queries — from how AI is shaping the film in...

10 Heinä 202534min

The 911 Calls Inside ICE Detention Centers

The 911 Calls Inside ICE Detention Centers

Leah Feiger speaks with WIRED’s Dhruv Mehrotra about an exclusive WIRED investigation into how serious medical incidents are increasing at some of the country’s largest immigration detention centers.A...

4 Heinä 202517min

In Sam Altman We Trust?

In Sam Altman We Trust?

Sam Altman is the king of generative artificial intelligence. But is he the person we should trust to guide our explorations into AI? This week, we do a deep dive on Sam Altman. From his Midwest roots...

3 Heinä 202541min

A Former DOGE Staffer Speaks Out

A Former DOGE Staffer Speaks Out

Zoë Schiffer is joined by WIRED’s Vittoria Elliott to discuss her conversation with Sahil Lavingia. Lavingia worked at Elon Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency, within the Department ...

27 Kesä 202541min