System for encouraging a user to perform substantial physical activity

• US 8,317,657 B2
• Filed: 06/09/2011
• Issued: 11/27/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/23/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: University of Southern California
• Original Assignee: University of Southern California
• Inventors: Thukral, Dhruv, Zyda, Michael J., Wei-Chung, Chang, Lin, Shu Fen
• Primary Examiner(s): Thanh, Loan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ganesan, Sundhara M
• Application Number:
  US13/157,071
• Publication Number:
  US 20110262888A1
• Time in Patent Office: 537 Days
• Field of Search: 600/587, 600/595, 482 1- 9
• US Class Current: 482/8
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2024/0071 Distinction between different activities, movements, or kind of sports performed
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2024/0096 using performance related parameters for controlling electronic or video games or avatars
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/12 Absolute positions, e.g. by using GPS
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/40 Acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/803 Motion sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/836 Sensors arranged on the body of the user
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2225/50 Wireless data transmission, e.g. by radio transmitters or telemetry
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 24/0059 Exercising apparatus with reward systems
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 24/0062 Monitoring athletic performances, e.g. for determining the work of a user on an exercise apparatus, the completed jogging or cycling distance

Abstract

A system for encouraging a user to perform substantial physical activity. The system may include sensors that may be worn by the user while the user is performing a substantial physical activity, such as running or playing basketball. The sensors may detect the magnitude of the physical activity and may transmit data regarding the physical activity to a processing system. The processing system may display a reward to encourage the user for participating in physical activity and the reward provided may be based on the physical activity of the user.

Claims

1. A system for encouraging a user to perform substantial body movement, comprising:

one or more sensors configured to detect substantial body movement of a user;

a display configured to display a moving animated character; and

a processing system configured to cause the display to display the animated character performing substantial body movement the mimics the substantial body movement detected by the one or more sensors,

wherein the processing system;

contains physical motion-recognition algorithms that are configured to determine the type of the substantial body movement that the one or more sensors detect the user is performing; and

is configured to cause the display to display the animated character performing substantial body movement of the same type that the physical motion-recognition algorithms determine the user is performing.

2. The system for encouraging a user to perform substantial body movement of claim 1 wherein the physical motion-recognition algorithms are configured to determine that walking and running are different types of substantial body movements.

3. The system for encouraging a user to perform substantial body movement of claim 1 wherein the physical motion-recognition algorithms are configured to determine that running and jumping are different types of substantial body movements.

4. The system for encouraging a user to perform substantial body movement of claim 1 wherein the physical motion-recognition algorithms are configured to determine that running and bicycling are different types of substantial body movements.

5. The system for encouraging a user to perform substantial body movement of claim 1 wherein:

the physical motion-recognition algorithms are configured to determine that the user is not performing any substantial body movement when the one or more sensors fail to detect that the user is performing substantial body movement; and

the processing system is configured to cause the display to display the animated character not performing any type of substantial body movement when the physical motion-recognition algorithms determine that the user is not performing any substantial body movement.

6. The system for encouraging a user to perform substantial body movement of claim 1 wherein the processing system is configured to determine a reward for the user based on the type of substantial body movement that the physical motion-recognition algorithms determine the user is performing.

7. The system for encouraging a user to perform substantial body movement of claim 6 wherein the physical motion-recognition algorithms are configured to determine that walking and running are different types of substantial body movements.

8. The system for encouraging a user to perform substantial body movement of claim 6 wherein the physical motion-recognition algorithms are configured to determine that running and jumping are different types of substantial body movements.

9. The system for encouraging a user to perform substantial body movement of claim 6 wherein the physical motion-recognition algorithms are configured to determine that running and bicycling are different types of substantial body movements.

10. The system for encouraging a user to perform substantial body movement of claim 6 wherein:

the physical motion-recognition algorithms are configured to determine that the user is not performing any substantial body movement when the one or more sensors fail to detect that the user is performing substantial body movement; and

the processing system is configured not to provide any reward to the user when the physical motion-recognition algorithms determine that the user is not performing any substantial body movement.

11. The system for encouraging a user to perform substantial body movement of claim 6 wherein:

the physical motion-recognition algorithms are configured to determine a health vector from the substantial body movement detected by the one or more sensors that is indicative of the effect of the substantial body movement on the user'"'"'s health in multiple categories; and

the processing system is configured to determine the reward based on the health vector determined by the physical motion-recognition algorithms.

12. The system for encouraging a user to perform substantial body movement of claim 11 wherein one of the multiple categories is calories burnt, distance traveled, duration of substantial body movement, duration spent outdoors, or duration spent indoors.

13. The system for encouraging a user to perform substantial body movement of claim 11 wherein the multiple categories includes at least two of the following:

calories burnt, distance traveled, duration of substantial body movement, duration spent outdoors, or duration spent indoors.

14. Non-transitory, tangible, computer-readable storage media containing a program of instructions containing algorithms configured to cause a computer processing system running the program of instructions to encourage a user to perform substantial body movement by causing a display to display an animated character performing substantial body movement that mimics the substantial body movement of the user as detected by one or more sensors, the program of instructions including physical motion-recognition algorithms that are configured to determine the type of the substantial body movement that the user is performing, and to cause the display to display the animated character performing substantial body movement of the same type that the physical motion-recognition algorithms determine the user is performing as detected by the one or more sensors.

15. The non-transitory, tangible, computer-readable storage media of claim 14 wherein the program of instructions contains algorithms configured to determine and provide a reward for the user based on the type of substantial body movement that the physical motion-recognition algorithms determine the user is performing.