# The rise of unmanned gyms: innovation, spatiotemporal characteristics, and the future of urban fitness

**Authors:** Tianhang Peng, Wanyuan Liang, Jiayi Zhang, Zike Zhang

PMC · DOI: 10.3389/fspor.2025.1574966 · Frontiers in Sports and Active Living · 2025-07-03

## TL;DR

Unmanned gyms use technology to offer flexible fitness solutions for urban residents, but face challenges in technology, ethics, and regulation.

## Contribution

This paper reviews the development, spatiotemporal characteristics, and future trends of unmanned gyms.

## Key findings

- Unmanned gyms use IoT and AI to provide 24/7 fitness solutions.
- They employ dynamic pricing and data monetization to enhance revenue and user experience.
- Challenges include technology limitations, ethical concerns, and regulatory issues.

## Abstract

With the acceleration of urbanization and the growing awareness of health, traditional gyms face challenges related to space, time, and operational costs, particularly in meeting the fragmented fitness needs of urban residents. Unmanned gyms, integrating advanced technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT) and Artificial Intelligence (AI), provide flexible, personalized fitness solutions available 24/7, addressing the increasing fitness demands of modern urban populations. Moreover, through innovative business models such as dynamic pricing, data monetization, and value-added services, unmanned gyms optimize their revenue structures and enhance user experiences. However, despite their significant growth potential, unmanned gyms still face challenges in terms of technology, ethics, and regulation. This paper reviews the current development of unmanned gyms, their spatiotemporal characteristics, and future trends. Future research should focus on the sustainability of technologies, user engagement, and the improvement of regulatory frameworks to foster the healthy growth of the unmanned gym industry.

## Full-text entities

- **Diseases:** hypertension (MESH:D006973), NCDs (MESH:D000073296), obesity (MESH:D009765), injuries (MESH:D014947), fat loss (MESH:D004620), chronic diseases (MESH:D002908), chronic insomnia (MESH:D007319)
- **Chemicals:** glycogen (MESH:D006003)
- **Species:** Homo sapiens (human, species) [taxon 9606]

## Full text

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## Figures

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## References

55 references — full list in the complete paper: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC12267159/full.md

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Source: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC12267159