UPDATE: Exertion Interfaces has grown into its own entity, and is therefore now continued at exertiongameslab.org. The content here is made available for archival purposes.
Exertion Interfaces is a research activity that investigates how the design of computing technology that demands physical exertion can facilitate more exciting experiences. In particular, considering sweat from physical effort might lead to exertion games (exergames) that utilize advantages from video gaming technology, such as supporting players from geographically distant locations, or, in short, "Sports over a Distance".
We have developed several prototypes, such as the Remote Impact system above, to demonstrate our approach of combining gaming technology with sports thinking, and have conducted studies that show that health benefits from sports, such as physical health (addressing the obesity issue) and social health (fostering social connectedness and team building) can be facilitated when the design of the system is right. We focus on understanding how to design such systems.
