NEAT-o-games: ubiquitous activity-based gaming

The role of Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenes is (NEAT) has become a key component of obesity research, prevention, and treatment. This paper describes research that aims to suppress the obesity epidemic by infusing NEAT in the sedentary lifestyle of an average person. The method combines unobtrusive physiologic sensing and novel Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) technologies. It supports a strong motivational framework based on ubiquitous computer gaming, appealing enough to likely change the behavior of "couch potatoes" on their own volition. This novel generation of computer games (NEAT-o-games) is fueled by activity data recorded by small wearable sensors. Data from the sensors are logged wirelessly to a Personal Digital Assistant/Cell Phone (PDA), which acts as the central computing unit of the system. Algorithmic software processes these data and computes the energy expenditure of the user in real-time. The paper presents a prototype implementation of NEAT-o-games and initial evaluation results.