Next Generation of Playground Equipment
The Intelligent Play System takes gaming technology into the
playground
and makes exercise fun for the ‘Playstation
generation’
A quarter of all UK children are now estimated to be clinically
obese, making this the defining health issue of our time. But with
initiatives for getting the ‘Playstation generation’
off the couch and onto the playing fields yielding mixed results,
while the Nintendo Wii is heralded as an unexpected ‘fat
burner,’ a new playground product has been launched to put
the fun back into fitness for children weaned on TV and
videogames.
The i.play System – the next generation of playground
equipment is designed to improve fitness, co-ordination and agility
by taking Wii-style physical gameplay to a new level. It works by
using the videogame method of issuing the player with a sequence of
instructions or tasks which must then be completed by physical
activities. These tasks, issued via an embedded LED screen, involve
single or multiple players running, jumping and twisting to
interact with special ‘activity switches’ situated on
The i.play System. The result is a whole body, high energy and,
most importantly, fun work-out for all involved.
The i.play System is based on research commissioned by
playground products specialist, Playdale, from Loughborough
University spin-out company, Progressive Sports Technologies (PST).
The research highlighted the role that ‘stealth
fitness’ (physical activity which is enjoyable enough not to
feel like a chore) plays in keeping children to a healthy weight.
It also advocated using videogameplay strategies as a solution, as
the immediate, frequent feedback and goal-setting that
characterises electronic gaming was found to increase adherence to
exercise.
Playdale spokesperson Barry Leahey explains: “To date a
lot of the attention on child obesity has focused on
‘making’ children do sixty minutes of exercise a day,
rather than on how we can make that hour of physical exertion fun.
Despite our best intentions, this means we’ve taken an
‘eat your greens’ approach to encouraging exercise,
which is rarely the best way to win an argument.
“Today’s children define ‘fun’
differently to their parents and grandparents. Whereas children
thirty years ago were sent outside with a jam sandwich and a
football, nowadays they’re more likely to be confined indoors
with a Playstation 2. This means we have to find a way of combining
this technology-centred idea of fun with physical exertion.
Remember that children are meant to play because it’s
enjoyable – not because it burns
calories.”
The i.play System has been designed with the full rigours of the
playground in mind and is robust enough to be vandal
resistant. Although developed for a core 8-14 age group, The
i.play System is suitable for adult involvement and use by
wheelchair users as well as visually and hearing impaired players.
Actions are dictated by audio and visual commands from the central
LED console and the activity switches themselves.
High, mid and low height activity switches ensure a whole body
aerobic workout that helps build muscular strength, stamina,
co-ordination, reaction times and agility. The fully inclusive
device will also intelligently adapt to players’ performance,
for example if high switches are beyond the reach of a smaller
child. The i.play System provides players with accurate statistics
to monitor performance throughout and after gameplay, including
game score and calorie burn.
Barry concludes: “Developments such as The i.play System
represent our best chances of persuading today’s children
that exercise is something to be enjoyed rather than endured.
Teaching them to associate physical effort with positive feelings
will also arguably lead to benefits in other areas –
particularly in sport. After all, if we want 2012 medal
winners we will need to raise a generation of Roger Blacks rather
than Bridget Joneses. The i.play System could well be the start of
a happier, healthier future for thousands of children.”
To learn more about Playdale visit www.playdale.co.uk