A computer game research project from Carleton University that encourages a high level of physical exertion in a fun format has been chosen to showcase at E3, the world’s largest industry entertainment conference.
Not satisfied with the sensor capabilities of the Nintendo Wii, a group of student researchers, along with principal investigator Dr. Anthony Whitehead, have developed Sensor Networks for Active Play (SNAP), entertainment-based applications that require significant physical skills to play.
“With the Wii, players eventually realized that instead of actually playing baseball, all they had to do was flick their wrists, and ended up gravitating back to the couch,” said Whitehead.
“Any of the physical benefits possible there were lost, since people were cheating the system.”
The SNAP system operates by placing more sensors on more parts of the body, which allows the computer system to better understand what the body is doing as a whole, instead of just one appendage.
The research project was developed through the Interactive Mulitmedia and Design (IMD) program of the Bachelor of Information Technology (BIT) which is a joint collaboration between Carleton University and Algonquin College.
