Prototype of a Lower Member Exer-Game using

Smartphone’s Capabilities as a Health-Care Training

and Monitoring Portable Tool
Sergio Valdivia-Trujillo∗ , Eliana Prada-Dominguez∗ , Alvaro Uribe-Quevedo∗ and Byron Perez-Gutierrez†
∗ Industrial
Engineering
Mil. Nueva Granada University, Bogota, Colombia
Email: ing.sergiovaldiviatrujillo@gmail.com,ing.elianaprada@gmail.com,alvaro.j.uribe@ieee.org
† Mechatronics Engineering

Mil. Nueva Granada University, Bogota, Colombia

Email: byron.perez@ieee.org

Abstract—Exercise is an important activity that allows main- game design and development of the application are docu-
taining an optimal health for executing daily activities impacting mented; Section III results are shown; finally, in Section IV
the quality of life, these may be health-care oriented, physical the conclusions of the work are shown.
therapy and fitness, among others. The engagement on physical
activity requires intrinsic motivation, which may be affected due II. G AME D EVELOPMENT
to the exercising characteristics, such as repetitive tasks, lack
of time and proper feedback, help preventing musculoskeletal The game development process requires the characterization
disorders. Among the current trends in e-health, exergaming of the lower member and its flexion/extension exercises. The
is gaining momentum as a tool that provides motivation and
system architecture is configured as presented in Figure 1, it
positively impact the activity. This trend has led to a big devel-
opment of such apps on different markets. This project presents receives motion data from the user through the smartphone’s
the development of an exergame for Android OS using inertial inertial sensor. The information is translated into actions and
sensors for motion capture of the lower member flexion/extension, then into reports that are stored internally into the device so
with data and visual feedback through reports. the user can keep record of its progress.
I. I NTRODUCTION
Exercising is an important activity to prevent injuries that
may result in musculoskeletal disorders [1], these can affect
the quality of life of the population difficulting daily activ-
ities [2], such as walking, sprinting or running [3]. Regular
exercising allows preventing some of them, due to the ex-
ercise that allow strengthen the muscles ligaments and the
support system (bones) [4]. The encountered challenges when
exercising related to motivation affects its proper execution
and tracing [5][6].This problem was traditionally addressed
through printed guides, videos and even self-taught activi-
ties, however, video games are currently presenting engaging
scenarios with affordable hardware through gaming consoles Fig. 1. System Architecture
[7][8]. The use of game mechanics provides engagement
and allows easing some of the difficulties present in users
with lower intrinsic motivation[9]. Some gamified solution are A. Game Elements and Mechanics
available through app markets that offer step, calorie and even The use of game mechanics within an exercising app aims
heart rate monitoring[10][11]. to provide engagement and improve motivation during the
This paper presents the design and development of a mobile execution of physical activity. The main rule of the game
game that presents an interactive scenario where the user can is to successfully perform the flexion/extension within the
perform actions that result in events and consequences during required ranges of motion, which results in scores reflecting
the gameplay. The experience is tracked so the information the accuracy, and badges representing the completion. The goal
feedbacks the user through data and graphics mirrored in a is to take the ball into every basket using the smartphone as a
TV. controller through lower member flexion/extension movements
The paper is organized as follows: in section II methods, while controlling its trajectory until it reaches the goal zone,

978-1-4799-7546-4/14/$31.00 ©2014 IEEE

for each level the player has two opportunities called ”tries”.
The game ends when the user reaches the final basket with
more than six points and its awarded with badges when the
requirements are met, other way restarts the level losing one
try. In order to improve the game experience, the application is
designed to be used along with screen mirroring technology
into a TV set or a PC screen via commercial software or
manufacturer’s technologies [12].
B. Development
The development process involves programming, multime-
dia design, software engineering and their integration. The
GUI design and game mechanics takes advantage of the
phones accelerometer, storing the data into the system, as-
signing them to the player. The application was programmed
for recognizing movements within 0 to 90 degrees, informing
through audiovisual alerts when the player has reached the
basket while providing the obtained scored points. Figure 2
presents the game scenario and the main goal of the game,
the movement required to execute the game can be seen in
Figure 3.


was consulted, along with a small group of users composed
of 20 students that exercise regularly, he found that the game
experience was short to encourage exercise but the design and
the use of the phone as capturing data sensor was innovative
and may have a chance into further developments, 68% of the
users found the game interesting while the other 32% focused
on the correct execution of the movements that allow them to
advance into other levels.
IV. C ONCLUSIONS
The implemented game allows the user to engage exercise
while interacting with a smartphone as a wireless control,
taking advantage of the inertial sensors that comes integrated
in the device, performing Lower Member Flexion/Extension
movements. Strapping the device on the exact place the lower
member is crucial for the quality of the interaction, a bad
positioning on the leg tend to disturb the data recording,
giving as a result with a low performance on the game.
Users were pleased with the interaction between the game
and the flexion/extension movements, forgetting that they were
exercising, focusing only on completing the game objectives.
Future works will be focused on filtering the signal from the
accelerometer, improving data capture and game mechanics,
Integration with other inertial motion sensors, improving game


 mechanics as a method to engage more people into exercise.
 
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
The authors would like to thank the Mil. Nueva Granada
University and its Research Division for the grant on Project
ING1545. Additional thanks to its Virtual Reality Center.
R EFERENCES
Fig. 2. Game scenario with goals and visual feedback highlighted
[1] A. D. Woolf and B. Pfleger, “Burden of major musculoskeletal condi-
tions,” Bulletin of the World Health Organization, vol. 81, no. 9, pp.
646–656, 2003.





 [2] L. Lidgren, “The bone and joint decade 2000-2010,” Bulletin of the


 [6] M. Richard, M. F. CHRISTINA, L. S. DEBORAH, N. Rubio, and M. S.
Fig. 3. Game Streaming with indicated movement
III. R ESULTS
An android based mobile app for smartphones was devel-
oped, allowing using lower member flexion/extension as a
method to control the game, giving the users an innovative
way to engage gaming and exercise with a common tool they
may already have. Motivation and feedback are keys to keep
the player interested in exercise along with game mechanics
and visual design.
In order to validate the game approach to engage exercise
using the smartphone as a controller, a healthcare specialist
978-1-4799-7546-4/14/$31.00 ©2014 IEEE
World Health Organization, vol. 81, no. 9, pp. 629–629, 2003.
[3] J. Hughes and N. Jacobs, “Normal human locomotion,” Prosthetics and
orthotics international, vol. 3, no. 1, pp. 4–12, 1979.
[4] A. Caraffa, G. Cerulli, M. Projetti, G. Aisa, and A. Rizzo, “Prevention
of anterior cruciate ligament injuries in soccer,” Knee surgery, sports
traumatology, arthroscopy, vol. 4, no. 1, pp. 19–21, 1996.
[5] R. Mannell, A. Loucks-Atkinson, and E. Jackson, “Why dont people
do whats good for them? cross-fertilization among the psychologies of
nonparticipation in leisure, health, and exercise behaviors,” Constraints
to leisure, pp. 221–232, 2005.
KENNON, “Intrinsic motivation and exercise adherence,” Int J Sport
Psychol, vol. 28, no. 4, pp. 335–354, 1997.
[7] M. Kasimatis, M. Miller, and L. Marcussen, “The effects of implicit
theories on exercise motivation,” Journal of Research in Personality,
vol. 30, no. 4, pp. 510–516, 1996.
[8] Nike, “Nike + kinect training,” June 06 2014. [Online]. Available:
http://www.nike.com/us/en\ us/c/training/nike-plus-kinect-training
[9] G. Osorio, D. C. Moffat, and J. Sykes, “Exergaming, exercise, and
gaming: Sharing motivations,” GAMES FOR HEALTH: Research, De-
velopment, and Clinical Applications, vol. 1, no. 3, pp. 205–210, 2012.
[10] S. to Start, “Zombies,run! 2,” March 05 2014. [Online]. Available:
https://www.zombiesrungame.com/
[11] digifit, “icardio,” June 12 2014. [Online]. Available: http://www.digifit.
com/what-is-digifit/android.asp
[12] Samsung, “Screen mirroring,” August 05 2014. [Online]. Available:
http://www.samsung.com/co/support/skp/faq/1032073