Will robot replace personal Pilates trainer in coming years?

The humanoid robot Sophia obtained citizenship in Saudi Arabia, the international robotics federation indicated that in 2016, there were 74 robots among every 10 thousands factory workers in the leading countries, and in Singapore in 2015 Robotocoach give a fitness class for seniors. Among the leaders in the robotics are 5 countries: China, the Republic of Korea, Japan, the USA and Germany.

The world expects to replace up to 50% of existing professions. In the risk factories, banks and fast food workers, drivers, cashiers and sellers. There is 8.5% of possibility that robots can replace personal Pilates trainer. Why?

1. The human body is not as perfect as science describes it. Already there is an artificial intelligence that can pronounce the names of exercises and technique, it can scan the body during the exercise and adjust according to the tracking of the joints and the “normal” position of body parts in space. But this is still not enough for Pilates. Equal and straight does not always mean the right for each person. The body is the guardian of the unconscious, information, emotions and past occasions. Therefore, in addition to focusing on how body should be logically present, the personal Pilates trainer looks at how the client’s body responds to each exercise, whether axial elongation presents, what are clients expressions and eye movements, listens attentively, compares the experience of previous client trainings and adapts exercise for a specific case. In total, innumerable number of variants is obtained, considering that each training of the client is not similar to the previous workout. The robot can not replace the subjectivity of the trainer, based on coaching experience and knowledge. Moreover, it often happens that the trainer gets exactly those clients whose body request echoes with his own.
2. The personal Pilates trainer does a unique individual work with every client, while robots tend to systematize, idealize and repeat the same for all.                              
3. A personal Pilates trainer is able to plan, analyze and predict workouts and at the same time he has the flexibility of the mind. Despite the fact that we assume that we can give today to the client, the final decision comes at a time when the client comes into the studio. The body can be set up for a different type of practice, because stress, lack of sleep, PMS, etc.
4. A personal Pilates trainer is a creative person. Most of the Pilates training is helded by voice, so the coach uses many images to explain the technique of the exercises. Not all people easily understand the images, so the coach needs not in ordinary way. Robots can not do this yet.
5. The robot, unlike the personal Pilates trainer, can not give support, sympathy, understanding, motivation and inspiration. Clients who are engaged in Pilates consciously, usually spend more than one year with the coach. This is possible not only because of professional skills, but also emotional intelligence, which robots do not have.
6. Robots can not replace live communication. Today there is no data and studies on would a person be comfortable and pleasant to deal with a robot and whether it would be generally possible to be pleasant and comfortable with a robot at all. Robot is perfect and we are not. And it is possible that the subjectivity of a qualified trainer in combination with the imperfection of our bodies makes possible an endless self-improvement of people.

Will we survive if robots can still replace professionals? Obviously yes. The robot industry will create new jobs: trainers who will train robots, make adjustments to the program, update and expand opportunities. In any case, this will be the reason for development, because just competencies and experience will be not enough to compete with robots.

Author – Anastasiia Vekua