Symmetrical Hardware-Software Design for Improving Physical Activity with a Gamified Music Step Sensor Box

Abstract

Physical inactivity, the fourth leading cause of death worldwide, can harm the economy, national growth, community welfare, health, and quality of life. On the other hand, physical activities (PA) have numerous advantages, including fewer cardiovascular diseases, cancer, and diabetes, fewer psychological disorders, and improved cognitive abilities. Despite the benefits of PA, people are less likely to participate. The main factor is a lack of entertainment in exercise, which demotivates society from engaging in healthy activities. In this work, we proposed a hardware-software symmetry that can entertain people while performing PA. We developed a step-box with sensors and a gamified music application synchronized with the footsteps. The purpose of this study is to show that incorporating appropriate gamification allows participants to engage actively in tedious and economic exercises. Participants (N = 90) participated in 20-min daily exercise sessions for three days. A 5-point Likert scale was used to assess efficiency, effectiveness, and satisfaction following exercise sessions. The results show that the gamified sensor step-box increased efficiency, effectiveness, and participant satisfaction. The findings suggest that gamification fundamentals in simple exercises increase excitement and may help people to maintain PA.

Positive and Negative Impacts of Gamification on the Fitness Industry

“…Incorporating Gamification into physical exercise positively affects efficiency, effectiveness, and participant satisfaction [ 21 ].…”

“…Gamified fitness apps can predict user preference according to user data [33] The findings from the analysis demonstrate that gamification can positively impact some aspects of physical activity, motivation [21], engagement, social interaction [23], health activities, user experiences, and the effectiveness of rehabilitation techniques. Some of these effects are increased happiness and satisfaction [22], promotion of physical activity and social connection, decreased sedentary behavior [26], enhanced attention and memory [27], and the development of practical knowledge and skills [14].…”