Article

Subway rides going for squat(s) ahead of Moscow Olympics

A gesture-interactive digital signage kiosk trades train tickets for exercise in Moscow Metro.

November 14, 2013

Russian Olympic officials and Moscow city leaders, looking to help whip up the Olympic spirit ahead of this year's Winter Games in Sochi, have taken to technology to get subway riders to exercise before they ride.

The city has deployed a gesture-interactive digital signage kiosk that dispenses free tokens to ride the Moscow Metro for passengers who perform 30 squats in front of the machine.

Russian state media are reporting that the deployment at Vystavochaya Station is part of the effort to promote physical fitness and sports, according to The Wall Street Journal, which is just one of many outlets reporting on the story.

The passengers' squats are counted by a special kiosk marked with the Olympic logo placed next to the Metro's electronic ticket vending kiosks. Along with the Olympic logo, the kiosks are fitted with a digital signage screen that counts out the passenger's squats as they perform them. If they can pump out 30 squats in two minutes, they get a free ride.

"We wanted to show that the Olympic Games is not just an international competition that people watch on TV, but that it is also about getting everyone involved in a sporting lifestyle," Alexander Zhukov, president of the Russian Olympic Committee, was quoted by state-run news wire RIA-Novosti as saying, according to the WSJ.

Russian gymnastic champion Yelena Zamolodchikova gave the press and onlookers the first demonstration of the kiosk, as seen in the video below from Russia Today: