Homebrew Labo kit gives you a full-body ‘Mario Kart’ workout
Do you feel like your body is going to waste when you play Mario Kart on your Switch? Mike Choi might have a way to keep you in shape. The self-professed “hardware hacker” has built a concept Labo Fit Adventure Kart Kit that gives you a full workout while you race. You have to not only steer and squeeze a Ring-Con, but pedal a cardboard-clad bike above a certain speed if you want to keep moving. You won’t win unless you’re committed to your cardio, in other words.
The kit is built around a TAPBO “robot” that presses Joy-Con buttons when it gets signals from both the Ring-Con and the bike. A sensor on the bike determines when your speed climbs above the necessary threshold.
Other games will technically work, although you’re obviously at a disadvantage when the module will only press a handful of buttons.
This won’t be a production device, unfortunately — you’ll just have to hop on a stationary bike with your Switch in hand if you want some Mario Kart-themed exercise. Choi stressed that he’d been using the homebrew Labo kit for over a month, though, and he hoped it would show how the Switch could be used as a fitness tool.
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