Exercise Pace Gamification With Collision-Based Visual Feedback
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing exercise pacing technologies can make routines feel tedious and mechanical, diminishing user motivation to achieve exercise goals and potentially leading to injury.
Innovation Solution
A system and method that gamifies exercise routines by using a combination of hardware and software to regulate exercise equipment movement, incorporating graphical elements that respond to user pace and provide collision indications, and pairing with mobile devices for interactive display and control.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional pacing technologies are used to regulate exercise routine pace, then exercise goal achievement and injury prevention are improved, but user motivation deteriorates due to tedious and mechanical experience
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces conventional mechanical pacing displays with a gamified virtual reality system. Instead of traditional mechanical counters or simple displays showing exercise progress, the system uses VR headsets to create immersive virtual environments where exercise actions translate into virtual avatar movements or game interactions. This substitution of mechanical systems with virtual reality-based systems maintains pacing regulation functionality while dramatically improving user engagement and motivation through interactive gaming experiences.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transforms the parameters of the exercise experience by overlaying gamification elements onto the physical exercise routine. Virtual reality graphics, game objectives, virtual rewards, and interactive feedback mechanisms are superimposed on the physical exercise actions. This parameter change from simple mechanical pacing to enriched gamified experience maintains the structural integrity of the exercise routine while transforming the user's perceptual and motivational engagement with the activity.
2Ease of operation
If gamification elements are added to exercise routines to improve user motivation, then user engagement is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a multi-functional integrated system where a single virtual reality headset and companion mobile application serve multiple functions simultaneously. The VR system provides pacing guidance, exercise form correction, gamification feedback, performance tracking, and motivational engagement all through one unified interface. The mobile application handles data collection, game logic, progress management, and communication with the VR system. This consolidation of multiple functions into integrated platforms reduces the number of separate devices and systems needed, thereby managing complexity while maximizing user engagement.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a mobile application as an intermediary layer between the physical exercise equipment and the virtual reality experience. This intermediary app serves as a bridge that manages the complexity of coordinating VR graphics, tracking exercise metrics, enforcing game rules, and providing feedback. By centralizing this coordination logic in a dedicated software layer, the system can manage the intricate interactions between hardware components and gamification elements without requiring complex integrated hardware designs.
3Ease of operation
If virtual reality and gamification systems are implemented for exercise routines, then user motivation and engagement are improved, but cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the gamified exercise system into modular components that can be implemented at different levels of complexity and cost. The core gamification framework and virtual reality experiences can be deployed using consumer-grade VR headsets and standard mobile devices, reducing hardware costs. The system allows for incremental implementation where users can start with basic exercise tracking and progressively add more sophisticated gamification elements, virtual environments, and social features as needed. This segmentation enables cost-effective deployment while maintaining the motivational benefits of gamification.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs parameter changes in the virtual reality experience to convey information and provide feedback. Instead of using expensive high-fidelity 3D graphics for all elements, the system dynamically adjusts visual complexity, detail level, and graphical resources based on the exercise phase, user performance, and attention requirements. During high-intensity exercise segments, the system may simplify graphical elements to reduce processing demands and cost, while providing enhanced visual feedback during transition or rest periods. This adaptive graphical parameter adjustment maintains engaging user experience while managing hardware resource requirements and system cost.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems, methods, and computer readable medium are provided for gamifying a physical exertion session. Gamifying a physical exertion session may include receiving signals indicative of exercise equipment movement repetitions, the signals corresponding to at least one property of manual exercise movements; presenting via a display, a controllable element being movable along a first axis; presenting a plurality of pacing elements movable along a plurality of second axes transverse to the first axis, wherein movement of the pacing elements corresponds to a desired pace of the exercise equipment movement repetitions; regulating movement of the controllable element along the first axis to correspond to the speeds of the manual exercise movements; determining collisions between the controllable element movable along the first axis and the plurality of pacing elements movable along the plurality of transverse second axes; and upon determination of a collision, causing a collision indication to appear on the display.