Trampolines didn't need to be Internet-connected, but here we are

Nothing can be left unconnected in the Internet of Things-era, not even your trampoline.

While you might think of it as a pretty inanimate item -- a mat stretched over a bunch of springs -- the Australian company Springfree Trampoline is taking its products online and turning them into interactive gaming devices.

Marketing its latest innovation as "the world's first smart trampoline," the mat has four in-built sensor pads that connect via bluetooth to Android or iOS tablets using Tgoma software (That's Tgoma as in "take gaming outside and make it active," obviously). Once the accompanying Tgoma app is downloaded, nine jumping games are available including kid-focused activities and fitness regimes for adults.

Pre-sales launched in May in Australia, and stock should begin shipping in October.

Leanne Fretwell, managing director of Springfree, told Mashable Australia the company hasn't fielded much flack from people concerned their beloved childhood toy is being digitised.

"Once they see that your body is the controller and the mat is taking feedback from every one of the movements, parents are getting really excited," she said. "Of course, the kids love it because it has that whole gaming feature as well."

Leaving anything screen-free just doesn't seem to be an option anymore.

"I heard somewhere the other day that you're not going to exist if you can't imagine yourself digital, so I guess we're the world's first smart trampoline," Fretwell added.

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

If a device is online, it's collecting data and the smart trampoline is no exception. Fretwell said the company is able to monitor how many of its smart trampolines have been activated and how many sorts of jumps are taking place, as well average session times.

"Not based on user, but on an aggregate of what's happening in the system," she added.

The company could also run competitions through the app for kids around the world to participate in. "We could run 'who is going to get the highest score' in certain apps," Fretwell said. "We haven't tried it out and run a competition yet, but it's something we're pretty excited about doing."

According to its privacy policy, the game collects "actions you take within the Apps, your game progress, play time, score and achievements, and the other websites or URLs that you visited and/or apps you used before and after using our Apps." While it does collect users' weight, that information is stored on the app and is not collected by the company.

Still, Fretwell emphasised it was possible for parents turn off that international data sync.

So there you are, the smart trampoline is now a thing and it knows your every jump. Just wait till the yo-yo goes digital.