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Taiso SPKR is a small speaker that plays a piano tune and guides you through a 3-minute stretch routine. The movements are playful, accessible, and inspired by Japan's beloved Radio Taiso tradition of radio broadcast exercise. Even more fun with a group.
Taiso SPKR goes off at a scheduled time each day, with a slight random delay so it catches you off guard in the best way. If the timing is off, a light touch to the top will silence it. And if one session isn't enough, that same gesture will queue up another one.
It's an 80mm × 80mm × 55mm (3.2" × 3.2" × 2.2") plastic enclosure or about the size of a few decks of cards. Small enough to sit on a desk or shelf without getting in the way.
Loud enough to hear clearly in a room, but not so loud that it'll startle anyone. The speaker has a charming, vintage quality and isn't going to replace your Hi-Fi system any time soon.
It weighs in at around 6 ounces.
Plug it into a USB-C power source, connect it to your Wi-Fi, and set your preferred schedule. The whole process takes just a few minutes.
Wi-Fi allows your Taiso SPKR to keep its clock synchronized and for you to further customize your preferences. Without Wi-Fi, you can still touch the speaker to play and stop Taiso at any time.
After your speaker is set up, you can go to http://taiso.local and click Learn Taiso. A video will play that is synchronized to the audio. You can load this page on a computer or projector to learn as a group. The routine is simple and repeats with every session, so most people have it memorized within a few days.
Every movement has a seated alternative, making it accessible for everyone.
If you end up graduating from Taiso I, you can replace the music with Taiso II or any mp3 of your choosing under 10MB. You can restore to the original Taiso music at any time.
Yes, and if they are set to the same time, they will play in sync. You'll want to give them unique names during setup so you can configure them independently.
Multiple speakers are great if you have a few floors or a very large space you want to cover.
A Taiso SPKR and a simple setup guide. A USB-C power source is required but not included. Any existing USB-C cable and power source (wall adapter, computer, etc.) will work.
Yep. You'll want a 90° USB-C cable as the port is on the back. The speaker weighs less than half a pound so Command Strips are an easy mounting choice.
It started as a DIY project at a game studio in Seattle where we all sat hunched over computers for hours not using our bodies. Every day, the speaker would go off and the whole studio would stand up and exercise together.
The three minutes spent moving together became an unexpected bright spot of the day — a little silly, a little energizing, and surprisingly good for morale. When we had visitors to the studio, they'd observe our strange, cult-like response to the music and it was more socially awkward for them to idly watch, so they'd have to jump in and share in the joy.
Taiso SPKR is an attempt to share that feeling with the world.
The concept of exercise broadcasts dates back to 1923 in the United States.
A Japanese Postal Insurance Bureau official, while on a visit to the US, came across one of these broadcasts at MetLife and was inspired by the idea. Upon returning to Japan in 1928, they introduced the concept to their home country, where it quickly gained popularity and became known as ラジオ体操, or Radio Taiso.
Nearly a century later, millions of people in Japan still practice it daily.
Email me at bj@birdcartel.com — I'm happy to help.