Patent ID: 7811200

Claim:
A multifunctional virtual-reality fitness assembly for displaying a three-dimensional virtual simulation image to a single user doing exercise by himself/herself and/or for multiple users participating in an on-line competition with others through a remote Internet server, the assembly comprising a corresponding fitness apparatus and a detachable interactive manipulator connected by a signal transmission wire to a personal computer for on-line communication to at least one other fitness apparatus through a remote internet server, wherein the detachable interactive manipulator transmits signals from the corresponding fitness apparatus to the personal computer and transmits three-dimensional virtual simulation scene images from the personal computer to a display for display to the user, wherein the detachable interactive manipulator is an input/output device adapted to be removably connected to the corresponding fitness apparatus, the detachable interactive manipulator including a user interface that, when the detachable interactive manipulator is joined to the corresponding fitness apparatus, the detachable interactive manipulator enables the user to select either to exercise alone or to exercise with multiple users participating in an on-line competition, the detachable interactive manipulator comprising a 20-pin plug-socket connector arranged on a reverse side from the user interface, the 20-pin plug-socket connector possessing a plurality of analog signal input pins and analog signal output pins; and a single-chip microcontroller that converts digital information transmitted from the signal transmission wire into analog information, transmitting an analog signal to the analog signal output pin of the 20-pins plug-socket connector, converting the analog signal from the analog signal input pins of the 20-pin plug-socket connector into digital information, and transmitting said digital information to the personal computer; and wherein the corresponding fitness apparatus comprises: a corresponding plug-socket connector arranged on a face-plate of the corresponding fitness apparatus for completing a male-to-female connection to the 20-pin plug-socket connector of the detachable interactive manipulator, the corresponding plug-socket connector having a plurality of analog signal input pins corresponding to analog signal output pins of the 20-pin plug-socket connector of the detachable interactive manipulator; and having multiple analogue signal output pins corresponding to analog signal input pins of the 20-pin plug-socket connector of the detachable interactive manipulator; and one or more torque sensor and/or and location sensors connected to at least one of the analog signal output pin-pins of the corresponding plug-socket connector.