Image: Roboro
Working out on a stationary exercise bike can get pretty dull really quick. But if you want to make it fun, you might want to hack your bike so you can’t watch TV unless you complete your workout.
A clever engineering student named Ronan Byrne recently came up with Cyxflix, a program that interrupts your Netflix binge watching if you stop working out. He calls it “Exercise Powered Entertainment.”
The main gist of the project is that you can program the speed of your workout routine and sync it to your bike and your Netflix show (streaming on a browser). So if you go below the speed you initially programmed, the show will be paused until you pick up the pace and keep pedalling at the programed rate.
Byrne uploaded instructions on how to hack your stationary bike on his Roboro blog and on the site Instructables. He even designed it to work with other streaming services. You just have to make a few changes to the program.
Cyxflix actually seems very customisable. It allows users to select how many sets, insert resting periods, and program the length and intensity of the workout. The system will also warn users ahead of pausing their shows and motivate them to keep up the pace.
This is not the first time a quirky project like this has surfaced on the web. There are other DIY projects you can do with Netflix such as setting up a button that can order pizza for you while dimming the lights and turning on your TV, or knitting a pair of socks that will pause your show when they detect you’ve fallen asleep.