eir Bands for Muscular Strength & Mood Improvement
May 30, 2024
eir Bands, our muscle haptics wearable, has received the VR Healthy Certification across multiple categories, including Muscular Strength and Endurance, Cardiovascular Exercise, and Mood Improvement with High Intensity.
Our Technology
eir Bands utilise our patented Electrical Muscle Stimulation (EMS) technology, a concept widely recognised and embraced in healthcare and sports for decades. By integrating muscle haptics with virtual reality we have created a solution that transforms human interaction and engagement in the virtual realm. eir Bands utilise controlled electrical impulses to stimulate muscles. As users interact with the virtual environment, the bands respond in real-time and provide motion stimulation to upper arm muscles, biceps and triceps. They are designed to feel every movement, including weight, resistance, and assistive forces in the digital realm. We developed eir Training, our flagship VR fitness game, as the first application of our haptic technology. eir Bands and eir Training offer users an immersive and effective workout experience anytime, anywhere.
''Low engagement in physical activity is a major problem for both mental and physical health.''
VR Healthy
The VR Healthy
The VR Healthy Team is renowned for its independent research into the physical and mental health benefits of VR games. By leveraging a scientific approach, they develop research-backed VR programs tailored for fitness, rehabilitation, and therapy purposes. Their certification process ensures that only VR games with proven physical or mental health benefits receive their endorsement.
Key aspects of their certification process include:
Scientific Research: Assessing the physical and mental health benefits of VR games.
Program Development: Using research findings to create VR programs for mental and physical health.
Certification: Certifying VR games based on demonstrated benefits, such as range of motion, anxiety relief, and cardiovascular exercise.
The VR Healthy Team’s research highlights the following areas of impact:
Mental Health: 1 in 4 people in the UK suffer from mental health issues. Individuals with conditions such as anxiety or depression often struggle to go to gyms or work out in public spaces.
Physical Health: Traditional rehabilitation programs are often seen as dull and unmotivating. Those with physical health issues may struggle to attend physiotherapy sessions and have stated traditional rehabilitation programmes aren't entertaining or encouraging.
Fitness: 62% of UK adults are overweight, and motivation for traditional workout plans is often low, especially post-lockdown when at-home workouts have become more prevalent.
Overcoming Barriers to Physical Activity
There is a noted lack of adherence to traditional exercise programs used in rehabilitation and therapy, often due to barriers such as depression, lack of enjoyment, and self-consciousness about body image. Gamified virtual reality experiences, like those offered by Valkyrie Industries, help overcome these barriers by making exercise more engaging and enjoyable. eir Bands in virtual fitness offer an exciting and engaging way to exercise. Virtual fitness provides a private and comfortable alternative to gyms, encouraging enjoyable physical activity more inclusively. Further, our patented EMS technology enhances muscle strength and endurance.
The VR Healthy’s recognition shows the innovative and effective nature of our technology. As we continue our journey, we keep developing inclusive and accessible solutions for everyone that enhance mental and physical well-being.
For more information about the benefits of VR for health, check out the VR Healthy research overview.