Computer game and wearable sensors based approach to promote physical activity for young men

Abstract

In this work, it was tested if a computer game and wearable sensors could be used to motivate young men to increase their everyday activity. The game itself was planned so that the possibility to play the game and success in it was dependent of how much activity the subject achieved during his everyday life. A pilot version of a computer game, called Space Pioneer, was developed for this purpose while the activity measures were collected using three type of sensors: pedometer, Polar Active activity monitor or mobile phone application. The results were varying; although many subjects did not even try the game or disliked it, the awareness of subjects' own physical condition as well as daily activity information were found out to be motivating factors in the target group.