A daily dose of calisthenics to promote unity, energy, and health.
Each day, around the time of your choosing, Taiso SPKR plays a whimsical piano tune, inviting listeners to perform a low-impact calisthenics routine alongside the music.
Radio exercise broadcasts began as early as 1923 in the US. While a member of the Ministry of Communications' Postal Insurance Bureau was visiting the US, they observed the broadcasts of Metropolitan Life Health Exercises. They brought back the idea to Japan in 1928 where it became known as ラジオ体操 or Radio Taiso.
Taiso SPKR grew out of a DIY project for a game studio in Seattle. The almost cult-like ritual of everyone standing up and exercising together was a daily treat. The sense of whimsy, joy, and energy from these simple three minutes could not be overstated. The fact that the speaker went off unpredictably served as a welcomed interruption to the daily routine.
I believe that if everyone participated in Taiso daily with their friends or coworkers, the world would be a tiny bit healthier and a tiny bit happier.
The entire Taiso SPKR project, hardware and software, is open source and hackable. Want a new daily song? Use our firmware loader to replace audio files. Want a larger speaker? Easily swap out and solder a new one. For some reason want to print your own PCB and move components around? Go nuts with the Gerbers!
All design files, firmware, and documentation are available on the Bird Cartel GitHub.
