Forget Peloton, This AI-Powered Punching Bag Will Get You Fit And Teach You To Box

A new startup is about to bring the boxing gym into your home. Called Growl, the project has already raised $4.75 million of seed funding from investors, including former UFC Heavyweight Champion Ciryl Gane. Growl is expected to be a wall-mounted device equipped with projectors beaming boxing games and even a life-sized AI coach on a convex punching pad. The idea is definitely intriguing, but will potential customers be able to get past the subscription-based payment model?

The market for smart fitness machines may be small, but it is a growing piece of the $110 billion fitness pie in the U.S. Digital or AI-based training machines such as Tonal, Nordictrack Vault, and Echelon Reflect are pricey, but people are still buying them like hot cakes. So far however, there hasn't been a dedicated smart boxing gym offered on the market (no, the Wii doesn't count), although that's about to change.

In a press release, fitness startup Growl said it's readying to put to market a new wall-mounted boxing training machine thanks in large part to $4.75 million of seed money from investors. One of the main features of Growl is its projection system. Utilizing projectors and 3D motion tracking technology, users can interact with a life-sized coach beamed onto a large convex punching surface. The coach will be powered by AI, giving insights into your form and technique through gamified training sessions. The company says that projected fights and games are powered by the Unreal Engine with real-time feedback (although it doesn't elaborate if that include any kind of haptics).


Growl also supports side-by-side training, such as when family or friends get together to compete with one another. The company hasn't laid out plans for online training companions or live online classes, like Peloton does.

The machine is expected to be up for pre-order in April 2025. It won't come cheap either; while there's no large upfront cost for the machine, expect to pay $150 per month (for the 48-month plan) to "own" the machine and service. In contrast, personal boxing trainers go for $50 per hour on average, or a little less when in a group.