CogniFit Personal Coach

Can't remember where you put your keys or if you've taken your vitamins??....CogniFit is an Israeli company that hopes to have your business to improve your mental skills. After taking a baseline series of assessments, the company will provide an individualized cognitive training program with plenty of formative and summative feedback. Seeing this and hearing all the positive and not so positive results of other brain training games, makes me want to investigate the studies and games a little to see what's really going on. As for the keys, well your guess is as good as mine.

[Via Medgadget]
And here is the rest of it.

Puppy Pedometer

TakaraTomy from Japan is concerned about your best friend's health, and is releasing a pedometer built to detect a dog's movements. I wonder if they have incorporated an accelerometer so that it is not solely measuring steps - kind of like the MVPA pedometer from New Lifestyles?

[Via TechBlips and Newlaunches]

DS My Weight Loss Coach Hands-on - It's Big!

It's Big! At the Exergaming Retreat, Ubisoft Exec Jeff Dickstein provided samples of the Nintendo DS title "My Weight Loss Coach". Thanks Jeff! I love the idea of connecting physical activity to game play and having these goals logged (after you insert the pedometer into the bottom) on your DS. The start up screens get really tedious flipping through them - I wish it had a "Skip" function. The pedometer itself, well I think you can tell by the pictures that it's just too big and bulky. I will load some comparison shots later on but it's no where near the size of a normal pedometer or even that of the new ones for Wii. That being said, I really like the functionality of the software and how it guides you through your data.

Here are some other review from the game sites:

My Weight Loss Coach Reviews

Other reviews of My Weight Loss Coach

IGN **	7 / 10	Aug 5, 2008
Eurogamer **	6 / 10	Sep 11, 2008
Thunderbolt **	5 / 10	Jul 29, 2008
Pocket Gamer UK **	5 / 10	Jul 7, 2008

Here is the beginning of my post. And here is the rest of it.

HopeLab's gDitty

Ellen LaPointe from HopeLab presented their initial prototype called gDitty at the Games for Health Exergaming Retreat in August. She asked us not to talk about it until they released their own reports. And after sitting on the news for such a long time, I found some images and a short report on their trials.
The gDitty is a clip on prototpye accelerometer that is tied to a web-based rewards system with a USB interface. Recently, they released a report from their pilot usability scenario. After seeing this prototype up close and holding it, it has a cool form factor but I think devices like the FitBit will be ultimately more useful as it has a wireless USB connection whenever the device is within range of the base. I just think the fewer things (steps, cords, USB plugs) to deal with - the easier it will be for kids (or even adults).

See other posts on accelerometers or FitBit or GoWear Fit

As someone who has used multiple devices to measure physical activity and energy expenditure (pedometers, accelerometers, heart rate monitors, galvanic skin response, and metabolic carts), it is difficult to compare results between studies because of the many devices that are used in studies. For example, we did a three year survey of physical activity articles and abstracts in RQES and found 15 different pedometers models and then another 20 studies where the pedometer was unspecified. As a profession we're not helping ourselves when we keep using different assessment tools - but on the other hand I also appreciate the amount of work that went into the R&D of building a product from the ground up.

Corrections: 1. Thanks Nicole for correcting my original typos. 2. Thanks Richard for the updated logo.

[Via Uncommon Projects]

Health eGames at the 2009 Health Promotion Conference

Being invited to speak at the American Journal of Health Promotion conference was an honor and it was really well organized and run. Dr. Micheal O"Donnell (Editor of AMHP), Dr. Bill Baun, the other organizers, volunteers, and Dr. Baum's students were really helpful at keeping everything running smoothly. I will post my presentation here later on once I reduce some of images. San Francisco was such a fabulous host too and we ate as well as a family could. From all the great spots near Fisherman's Wharf and all the places we hit in Chinatown - there was not one meal that disappointed us. Everyone in town was also so friendly and helpful that it made our experience that much better.

Total Immersion

Total Immersion requires Movement Experiences (TIME)


Total Immersion, a French company specializing in Augmented Reality installations, is one of many companies that bridge the virtual and physical worlds to produce highly interactive environments. One of the unique aspects of their D’Fusion® technology is that it easily integrates real-time 3D graphics into a live video stream. This technology, which I believe also includes their MLT (markerless tracking) technology, is unique because it does not use barcodes or RFID to track movements.

The screen-caps I grabbed from their promo videos show how to recognize different types of waste and to sort the recyclables accordingly. Creating physically and cognitively engaging environments is something both teachers and museum exhibitors seek to accomplish, and as exergaming technology continues to decline in price and increase in popularity - we will undoubtedly see more and more installations.