Controlling access to a stationary exercise machine

A method for controlling access to a stationary exercise machine, comprising:

• establishing, by a remote server, a plurality of authorized users of the stationary exercise machine, the stationary exercise machine having a motor, wherein establishing the plurality of authorized users comprises storing a profile that is associated with the plurality of authorized users at the remote server;
• detecting, with a first sensor, whether a user is within a proximity of the stationary exercise machine, wherein detecting the user is within the proximity of the stationary exercise machine comprises:
• automatically sending an electronic proximity confirmation request to one or more electronic addresses of the user;
• and
• automatically determining that the user is within the proximity of the stationary exercise machine based at least in part on a positive electronic proximity confirmation response received from any of the one or more electronic addresses;
• determining, by the remote server, whether the user within the proximity of the stationary exercise machine is an authorized user of the plurality of authorized users, wherein determining whether the user is the authorized user comprises:
• querying the user for an age verification input signal via an audio query output by a speaker of the stationary exercise machine, the audio query requesting information associated with an age-related characteristic of the user;
• receiving the age verification input signal via a microphone of the stationary exercise machine;
• detecting, with the microphone, the age-related characteristic of the user;
• determining that the age-related characteristic is associated with an age above a threshold age and that voice recognition data gathered using the microphone matches to one of the plurality of authorized users;
• and
• based on whether the user is within the proximity of the stationary exercise machine, the age verification input signal, that the voice recognition data gathered using the microphone matches to one of the plurality of authorized users, and that the age-related characteristic is associated with the age above the threshold age, determining whether the user is above the threshold age;
• if the user is above the threshold age, closing, by the remote server, an electrical circuit to power the motor of the stationary exercise machine;
• and
• periodically and automatically opening, by the remote server, the electrical circuit to disable workouts from being performed on the stationary exercise machine.

A stationary exercise machine, comprising:

• a speaker;
• a microphone;
• a motor;
• and
• a processor and memory, the memory including instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to:
• establish, by a remote server, a plurality of authorized users of the stationary exercise machine, wherein establishing the plurality of authorized users comprises storing a profile that is associated with the plurality of authorized users at the remote server;
• detect whether a user is within a proximity of the stationary exercise machine using a first sensor, wherein, to detect whether the user is within the proximity of the stationary exercise machine, the instructions cause the processor to:
• automatically send an electronic proximity confirmation request to one or more electronic addresses of the user;
• and
• automatically determine that the user is within the proximity of the stationary exercise machine based at least in part on a positive electronic proximity confirmation response received from any of the one or more electronic addresses;
• determine by the remote server, whether the user within the proximity of the stationary exercise machine is an authorized user of the plurality of authorized users, wherein, to determine whether the user is the authorized user, the instructions cause the processor to:
• query the user for an age verification input signal with an age verification prompt via an audio query output by the speaker of the stationary exercise machine, wherein the audio query requests information associated with an age-related characteristic of the user;
• receive the age verification input signal via the microphone in response to the age verification prompt;
• determine if the age verification input signal is associated with a threshold age and if voice recognition data gathered using the microphone matches to one of the plurality of authorized users;
• detect the age-related characteristic of the user;
• and
• determine that the age-related characteristic is associated with an age above the threshold age;
• if the age verification input signal is associated with the threshold age, if the voice recognition data gathered using the microphone matches to one of the plurality of authorized users, and if the age-related characteristic is associated with the age above the threshold age, close, by the remote server, an electrical circuit to power the motor of the stationary exercise machine;
• and
• periodically and automatically open, by the remote server, the electrical circuit to disable workouts from being performed on the stationary exercise machine.