Comparative Study of AR Versus Image and Video for Exercise Learning

TL;DR

This study compares mobile AR with traditional image and video methods for exercise learning, showing AR's superiority in learning quality, usability, and user preference based on a user study.

Contribution

It introduces ARFit, a mobile AR application for exercise learning, and provides empirical evidence of its effectiveness over traditional methods.

Findings

AR improves exercise learning quality over image-based methods

AR outperforms video-based learning for exercises requiring spatial understanding

Participants rated ARFit highly for usability and preference

Abstract

There is inadequate attention to using mobile Augmented Reality (AR) in fitness, despite mobile AR being easy to use, requiring no extra cost, and can be a powerful learning tool. In this work, we present a mobile AR application that can help users learn exercises with a virtual personal trainer. We conduct a user study with 10 participants to investigate the learning quality of the ARFit (i.e., the proposed mobile AR application) in comparison to traditional methods such as Image-based learning and Video-based learning. Our results indicate that participants have a higher learning quality of exercise with mobile AR than (1) Image-based learning among all exercises selected and (2) video-based learning with exercise that requires greater spatial knowledge, with the performance evaluated by a qualified personal trainer. In addition, ARFit has an excellent rating in usability, is deemed to be highly acceptable, and is the preferred exercise learning method by most participants (N=9)