Members hate a crowded gym and operators hate an empty one, so a new sensor that can help regulate footfall could well be the answer to everyone’s prayers.

Density is a sensor and app that counts the number of people in a given building and shares the data in real-time via the cloud. The sensor is a small box that anonymously tracks footfall by emitting an infrared light. This can then be tracked via the app which shows users how busy their favourite gym/bar/club/restaurant is.

For gym users, this means they can check how busy their club is without having to leave the house – potentially helping to limit overcrowding and also encourage attendance during times they may otherwise have avoided.

Operators can also benefit from these aspects to provide an enhanced member experience, but there are more exciting ways that they can apply the technology to help drive business.

The data that Density collects can be accessed by the developer community and this has already led to a range of innovative tie-ups. For example, Requested is a service that lets users request discounts from local businesses, when they are under capacity. In the same way that Density and Requested are being used together by restaurants to drive custom during trading lulls, gyms (particularly pay-as-you-go models) could automatically blast vouchers over Twitter for discounted rates when business is slow.

Currently starting up in the US after launching last month, Density offers free hardware and installation to select partners, charging US$25 (€23, £16) per month, to provide the footfall data for a given location.