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

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