A new patent application revealed this week, titled "Real-Time Interaction with a Virtual Competitor While Performing an Exercise Routine," notes that while yes, there's lots of ways and methods to motivate athletes, some continue to want to push the bar even further, according to AppleInsider.

The application filed by Apple portrays a networked system that would download a workout file that would be associated with a virtual competitor.  The system would also determine the performance of the said athlete using the iPod or iPhone, and compare the athlete's performance against that of the virtual competitor.

The system would then track the "performance metrics" of the user in both physiological terms, factors such as heart rate, blood oxygen content and temperature as well as non-physiological performance factors like speed and distance.  

In regard to the competitor, the system could possibly display visual aids, such as location, via GPS, on Google Maps, and would demonstrate the athlete's position in relation to that of the virtual competitor.  The system could also be used audibly, and would allow the athlete to focus on their performance.

The application reads, "For example, as user… passes the 2-mile mark, and audible cue played through the headset… may announce a 2-mile split of 10:27."  "If user… has a lead… cues may be played if the lead is less than a predetermined distance.  For example, if the lead is less than 100 feet, an audible cue may be played, such as 'He's right behind you.' For smaller leads, an audible cue may be the sound of footsteps thumping."

Now if runners like to utilize a treadmill indoors, cycle, or even an elliptical machine, the competitor system would be turned into a game, where the runner could use "tactical maneuvers," that would be tracked via a camera, and could be used to conduct certain actions.  The competitor would then be crowded out by the user with a hands-free mouse, and then these actions would gain the runner points in the game.

Image courtesy of ybyl.com