Anti Couch-Potato PC Program: A Do It Yourself device and software which will get you moving out of your PC chair at random short intervals (between 10 minutes and half an hour at most) and force you to do some stretching or other movement:

After having a movement detector installed at my office, which closed the lights and air conditioner, and which forced me to get up and turn it back on every 20 minutes, and before the tech guys fixed it, I discovered that its a great feeling to move around!

There are all kinds of reminder software (drink water, stretch) out there, but it only works for a short term, and people tend to turn them off.

So here's the device: A movement detector aimed at an area away from your chair where you MUST get up to activate it. Your PC will give you a warning which you can snooze up to 5 extra minutes, but then will go into screen saver mode. Moving the mouse wont work, only physically standing up, moving to that area, and then waving your arms or moving around for a period of at least one and a half minutes.

The screen will tell you how vigorous your movements must be and for how long (randomly chosen, but not letting you get too slack, so every once in a while it gives you a real workout). You can choose to have music, or movement instructions (Feldenkrais for instance... doesn't necessarily have to be quick movements). A reminder that you'll be feeling better at the end of the day, if you use this software will be up once in a while.

Maybe some sort of communications program could be enabled while the program goes to "movement" mode, so that besides moving you also talk to someone (family for instance), and become more interactive with the world.

I'm trying to stay away from advertisement ideas, but self advertising of this software could be useful, maybe an advertising company should be working on the software, because they would know how to find the best way to keep you alert, and how to make the distraction (because it IS a distraction) more appealing.

Reminder: Its halfbakery here, so will need to find out what needs to be done, in order to get it to become well accepted by the public.

Once this program is adopted by people, and gives them a good feeling at the end of the day, they wont be disabling or discarding it.
-- pashute, Jul 03 2008

Potato Couch Excercycle Potato Couch Excercycle
Similar idea of mine [pashute, Mar 11 2010]

Alternative to walking http://www.youtube....watch?v=FusI7isIakM
Wheel-a-go-round [pashute, Mar 11 2010]

//I discovered that its a great feeling to move around!//

congratulations

I BONE this idea
-- evilpenguin, Jul 03 2008


Well at least you moved your fingers for that! See 2nd link
-- pashute, Mar 11 2010



random, halfbakery