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REVIEW - Arendtcore Runbot Sixie 2089 Model
By Perry Hardsteadt
(Yes, we're aware that Perry usually covers health and lifestyle rather than the IT section of the Little Sanctuary Enquirer, but the specialist nature of this particular unit required more of his usual expertise rather than the usual reviewers, so yeah, consider this a special)
Gymbots have become a common fixture and a bit of a crowded market ever since Itako Robotics and Ninver Gymnastics collaborated on the first such unit in 2045 for workout rats in gyms and weight rooms. Since then, there have been a wide range of such robots made available, with different synergies with different brands of workout equipment, or differing standards, targeted at various different segments of the fitness market from the heavyweight lifters to the cardio freaks to the average joe who just wants to stay reasonably fit and toned.
The Arendtcore Robotics Runbot v.2089 model is probably one of the newest gymbots out there, and is intended to link well with HealthLink-enabled gym equipment, another such product in a growing market that caters to this new open standard for spotting, tracking and reporting of fitness equipment usage, but it also adds slightly slower support for non-Healthlink-enabled gear, as well as daily fitness and health/diet tracking.
Portability
The Runbot is configured as a Smaller Adult Frame Sixie type android - what this means is that it still has sufficient heft and power to manage light weight carrying of up to 200kg as well as extended active gym workouts of up to two hours, but can also be disassembled for easier transport to the gym or storage when not in use. The product was supplied in a slowliner-grade carrying case - reasonably light yet robust. Assembly is very easy, taking only placement of parts into associated stubs on torso to activate, and disassembly is just as easy when needed, with simple instructions provided in the case. The case also doubles as a recharge station when away from standard induction pads, as well as a communications relay for the Runbot's unique health/diet tracking systems.
A slight sticking point is the unusual foot configuration of the unit, which does not fit standard shoes. A standard set of easy-wear Gym workout clothing is provided, as is a pair of special hard-wearing support shoes for the feet of this unit, with several new designs coming out from Arendtcore Fashions over the coming months (as promised in the brochure). The unit is sized to take XS sized women's clothing or kids size XXL clothing as well for other alternative gymwear or casual relaxation clothes.
Functionality
The unit is heavily optimised for health and diet monitoring and workouts, almost to the exclusion of virtually anything else. Attempts to get the unit to do household chores ended miserably in abject failure, and while it does have a vaginal entry, its sex capabilities are heavily limited to being a mostly passive doll with limited motion and speech responses in that regard. It even continues tracking calorie burn and 'cardio workouts' during such activity. Personality wise, the unit is a health freak, recommending and preparing healthier options and meals optimized for the workout style of the user. It can be brought around somewhat, but it is heavily encoded for fitness and healthy eating, and will probably fare poorly at an average restaurant or social event. This unit is very economical, and is not intended for use as a Spousal unit but rather as a side-clanker, like a skipping rope or a favorite pair of running shoes. The unit is perfectly capable of handling the same kinds of workouts as an average person, lifting weights of up to 200kg, allowing it to spot lighter weight lift workouts. It is also capable of extended marathon-level runs, though a full charge is advised when using the unit in prolonged endurance workouts. Assembled or disassembled, the smartdevice app for controlling this unit also doubles as an interface to share your meals and workout with it in case one does not want to bring it along to a workout. It also interfaces very well with HealthLink-compatible fitness gear such as the multi-workout-mode gym setup I tried with this unit during the review week. On non-compatible gear or on activities not involving such gear such as outdoor biking or jogging, though , it needs to manually read and confirm workout details with the user, which can slow down the pace of workouts in such cases.
Recommendations
This unit is great for the workout freak who needs a wingman in the gym or on the road, but doesn't want to or can't task their own family or another person with the job on a regular basis. A proper human trainer and nutritionist would still be recommended as someone to keep in the loop when using the Runbot, but it has its use case, and at the economical price of the unit, it is a pretty decent if slightly over-luxury alternative to a FitByte tracker watch on your wrist. If you're into lifting heavier weights exceeding 200kg regularly, you may want to opt for another gymbot design that is much more robust.
A review unit was provided to the reviewer by Arendtcore Robotics on a "honesty even if it's brutal" basis for this article for two weeks. The hotel stay was paid for out of the reviewer's own pocket due to their personal desire for a holiday at the time this review was conducted.