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ORIGINAL ARTICLE：本校公共事務中心 (2022.10.05)

Professor Chang Shao-Hsi of the Department of Physical Education and Sport Sciences at National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU), in collaboration with Fitbond Health Consulting Co., Ltd., has launched an industry-academia research project titled the “Mobile Fitness Coaching Service Platform for the Elderly.” This innovative platform allows the elderly to use the app to select their preferred workout content, locations that feel familiar, coaches, and even fellow participants—customizing their exercise courses. The app’s user interface was co-developed with the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI), with the goal of breaking away from the traditional model of fixed-time, fixed-location classes and transforming how the elderly engage with exercise.

The signing ceremony for this collaboration took place on September 30 at NTNU and was opened by Director Lin Ching-Ping of the Department of Physical Education and Sport Sciences. Attendees included Principal Investigator Professor Chang Shao-Hsi, Director Li Chia-Jung of the NTNU Sports Office, CEO Chiu Po-Hao and his spouse from Fitbond Health Consulting, and Dr. Lien Chun-Hung from ITRI.

Professor Chang remarked that Taiwan is approaching a super-aged society, with one in every four residents in Taipei now considered elderly. As such, promoting physical activity among older adults is a critical issue facing the entire population of the nation. CEO Chiu also shared Fitbond’s long-standing experience in community-based fitness programs for seniors, expressing excitement and honor in collaborating with Professor Chang’s team to build a better future for senior fitness.

With growing demand for elder-focused fitness programs, many business opportunities have emerged. After the outbreak of COVID-19, live-streamed remote classes for the elderly surged in popularity. Yet both in-person and online classes remain limited by fixed times, locations, and course content. In addition, there’s a shortage of qualified senior fitness instructors, and payment is still predominantly handled in cash—challenges that still need to be resolved.

This industry-academia collaboration between NTNU and Fitbond, supported by ITRI’s technology-integrated dispatch service platform, introduces a new model of exercise participation. Instead of tradition enrollment in standard fitness programs, older adults can actively use the coaching delivery app to choose the types of sessions, locations they’re comfortable with, coaches they prefer, and even the companions they wish to work out with. This not only drives a digital transformation in elderly fitness, but also ensures services better meet consumer needs.

Notably, all payments through the app are handled digitally—via services like Line Pay, JKOPay, and Easy Wallet—aligning with Taipei’s vision of becoming a cashless smart city. The team also plans to discuss integrating the app with the city’s Senior Citizen Card point system, to make it easier and more accessible for the elderly to engage in regular physical activity. The project aims to achieve cooperation across industry, government, and academia.

Source: Department of Physical Education and Sport Sciences (English Version Powered by ChatGPT, Edited by Serena H.)