In a bid to raise fitness consciousness, Moscow’s authorities have decided to replace ordinary park benches with high-tech scales. The change, which will affect the city’s most popular parks, is being sponsored by gyms that are hoping to attract more weight-obsessed clients.

A similar campaign is already in place at a public bus stop in the Netherlands, where benches are attached to large electronic panels that display the seated person’s weight in kilograms. The panels also feature nutrition-related information and gym advertisements.

One of the first parks in Moscow to embrace the change is the northern Sokolniki Park – director Andrei Lapshin said that 20 weighing benches could be placed there by the end of the year.

Moscow’s media and advertising head Vladimir Chernikov supported the ambitious project by saying that he’s for ‘everything progressive and interesting’. He hinted that the high-tech benches would also be wired with electricity for phone-charging stations. This feature comes at an additional cost of 50,000 rubles ($1,300) per bench, which will be covered by advertising.

It will be quite interesting to see how Muscovites react to these new benches. Personally, I’d avoid them like the plague. After a relaxing stroll at the park, the last thing I’d want is to sit on a weighing scale that spills my secrets for the world to see!

Source: The Moscow Times