Ben Puckett, Krishnakumar Patel, Dylan Wright
Rachel Early
Three UAH students are actively working on a mobile phone fitness application intended to provide users the most convenient, personalized workout routine possible.
Krishnakumar Patel, Dylan Wright and Ben Puckett are the student creators of FitAi, the product they will present in the final round of the Boeing New Business Challenge. FitAi has a simple, yet ambitious purpose: help users stay fit in the most convenient way possible. Everything begins with the app’s scan. Using a mobile device’s camera, the app will scan users’ bodies to identify their structure and subsequently create a fitness program that will tell users what exercises are best for them. Additionally, based on the scan, the app will adapt exercise recommendations as users continue following their personalized fitness program, allowing them to constantly have appropriate exercises for their body type. Other notable features include built-in nutrition recommendations and a group workout function that lets users exercise with friends.
Patel summarized FitAi as, “an application [that] suggests exercise … the right form of exercise and nutrition. So it’s kind of packaged, but these three you can do by yourself or you can do it with your friends.”
Speaking about the usefulness of the app, Patel explained that it aims to help not only people who are interested in being physically active, but particularly those who are short on time. Compared to going to a gym or hiring and meeting a personal trainer, FitAi allows users to have their personalized workout routine with them at all times.
All three members within this group contribute to FitAi with specific expertise. Patel is the main project manager and back end developer thanks to his extensive involvement in AI application in the past two years. Wright has over five years of kinesiology experience which allows him to provide substantial fitness and physical health knowledge FitAi needs. Finally, Puckett has over five years of experience with user interface (UI) and user experience (UX) engineering, making him the primary UI and UX engineer.
The idea for FitAi originated through Patel’s own experience with staying fit. He mentioned that as he and his friends–including Wright–went to the gym, they realized there was no product that truly focused on an individual’s body to create an adequate workout routine.
Patel also said that as a graduate student his time is very limited, and while working with fitness instructors he noticed that it took him too long to begin achieving his fitness goals. After experiencing this, he explained, “I was thinking, ‘okay, how can I use this AI application [for the] fitness industry?”
Both Patel and Wright identified the problem and decided they could feasibly create a product. Then, they began brainstorming ideas about the technical components that would be incorporated into their AI, like neural networks–which are systems of organic neurons meant to imitate how the human brain works. Finally, they contacted Puckett to join them in making the app user friendly and aesthetically pleasing.
Regarding FitAi’s participation in the Boeing challenge, after progressing through the preliminary round, the team received and applied feedback from the competition’s judges as well as a mentor. In preparation for the final, FitAi has seen progress on several fronts, including improving its logo, establishing robust marketing and financial strategies, improving internal organization, and enhancing the application itself with new features and refined UI and UX. No doubt the future seems promising for this budding business and the students managing it.
The New Boeing Business Challenge is a competition hosted by the UAH College of Business and sponsored by Boeing. Undergraduate and graduate students were invited to pitch business ideas for the opportunity to win up to $15,000 in scholarships. The competition consists of two rounds, the qualifying and final round. The final round requires teams to conduct a verbal presentation and submit a written business plan. The final round will occur on March 4, 2022.
