I’ve observed that most PC games involve tremendous feats of physical exertion on the part of the virtual hero. At the same time the gamer is sedentary, near inert. Not good for the health if maintained for long periods on a regular basis.

So, wire up sets of pulse exercisers to the PC, enabling the game to control stimulation of the appropriate muscles and mimic the hero’s movements. The muscle movements would be small compared to those that would really be needed to perform the on-screen feats, but this would be compensated for by the extended length of the session.
-- egbert, Oct 23 2002

University of Wisconsin Study on (cheap) EMS http://www.acefitness.org/fitness/ems.cfm
"Not only was EMS ineffective, it was painful, too." [jutta, Oct 23 2002]

U.S. Federal Trade Comm. files charges http://www.ftc.gov/...5/projectabsurd.htm
FTC has a few problems with these types of devices [krelnik, Oct 23 2002, last modified Oct 21 2004]

Eloton SimCycle http://www.techtv.c...008,3332903,00.html
Set of pedals that can be used (with an add on, drill down to company site) to operate your FPS game [krelnik, Oct 23 2002, last modified Oct 21 2004]

Would this be like one of those ab/stomach shockers as advertised on tv, but for the entire body then?
-- blissmiss, Oct 23 2002


Same thing, but several sets wired to abs, arms, legs, buttocks too if you want to go the .. I mean, depending on how much of a workout is required.
-- egbert, Oct 23 2002


I like this. Not for the fitness aspect, but the VR. Feel that tringling on the back of your neck when someone's behind you, jerk realistically (well a little anyway) when shot, feel the strain on your arms when you pull yourself up onto a ledge. (Only to be played under medical supervision)
-- st3f, Oct 23 2002


Thanks for the plaudits, st3f, but you're thinking of a full bodysuit, shirley, which as far as I know is a WIBNI. Either way, take out the exercise and the idea becomes a hollow shell. The point is to join two existing technologies to reduce the unhealthy -er- impact of regular, prolonged gaming sessions.
-- egbert, Oct 23 2002


does this like move you with the character, or does this just exercise you, i'm sorta confused about that.
-- ann_m_n, Nov 01 2002


You don't actually move with these things. They just exercise your muscles by making them twitch. Tying them in to your game hero's movements would mean that your leg muscles twitch when he's running, and you would feel your arm muscles working as she pulls herself up over a parapet, for example.
-- egbert, Nov 01 2002


I doubt the fitness value of those neurostimulation devices and wouldn't it be hard to use your computer input device while undergoing spasms? I like the idea though. Maybe it would be neat to allow the computer to read your own pulse rate and limit the activity of the virtual character to it. Although pulse-rates very.
-- ImBack, Dec 23 2002



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