Running on a treadmill can get pretty boring, since you’re running in place, staring at a wall (or, at best, a TV). If you’re strapped for time or the weather is bad outside, though, it’s, pretty much, the best recourse. The Nautilus T618 Treadmill wants to inject a little more excitement to your indoor runs by adding visual and social elements.
Equipped with a full-color screen, the treadmill allows you to pretend you’re running outdoors, displaying a dynamic scenery that moves at the same pace as your runs. Granted, you’d have to look down at the screen the whole time to make the experience immersive, but we guess that’s better than having to stare at another TV show you don’t particularly enjoy (or you can always go back to staring at the wall).
The Nautilus T618 Treadmill comes with 26 built-in training programs, much like many modern treadmills, although you’ll have to pair with the RunSocial app on your phone (yes, the treadmill has Bluetooth) to get the dynamic scenery. It comes with a wide variety of running courses, all shot in real places around the world, so you can change things up when you get bored with a trail, with the app creating an avatar that mimics your run the whole time. Don’t like running alone? Not a problem, as you can coordinate runs with other users and see their avatars compete along with yours.
Features include a deck cushioning system, a 3.5 CHP motor, a heart rate strap, a DualTrack display, a charging port (for your phone), onboard speakers, headphone port, and a cooling fan, just in case the gym’s a little hot for your liking. All of your runs, by the way, can be synced to the Nautilus app, which is compatible with popular platforms like Apple HealthKit, Google Fit, and more.
Slated for availability in October, the Nautilus T618 is priced at $1,299.