Edith Cowan University Research Online Theses: Doctorates and Masters Theses 2011 Feedback control for exergames Jeff Sinclair Edith Cowan University Follow this and additional works at: https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses Part of the Public Health Commons, and the Sports Sciences Commons Recommended Citation Sinclair, J. (2011). Feedback control for exergames. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/380 This Thesis is posted at Research Online. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/380 Edith Cowan University Copyright Warning You may print or download ONE copy of this document for the purpose of your own research or study. The University does not authorize you to copy, communicate or otherwise make available electronically to any other person any copyright material contained on this site. You are reminded of the following: Copyright owners are entitled to take legal action against persons who infringe their copyright. A reproduction of material that is protected by copyright may be a copyright infringement. 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FEEDBACK CONTROL FOR EXERGAMES Jeff Sinclair Master of Science (Software Engineering) A thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for a Doctorate of Information Technology Edith Cowan University, Mount Lawley March 2011 Principal Supervisor Associate Professor Philip Hingston Co-Supervisor Dr Martin Masek Associate Supervisor Professor Ken Nosaka School of Computer and Security Science Acknowledgments First and foremost I would like to thank my supervisors, Associate Professor Philip Hingston, Dr Martin Masek and Professor Ken Nosaka for their support and guidance throughout this degree. I would like to thank everyone who participated in the exergaming study which allowed me to complete the study for this research. I would like to thank Christopher Holme and Reino Karvinen, Edith Cowan University technical support officers, for their help in making the required hardware changes to the equipment used in this thesis. Finally, and most importantly, to my loving family, whose patience, kindness, and endless support, allowed me to complete this degree. I particularly thank my wife Rachel, for not allowing me to quit and thus forcing me to continue on and complete this degree ii Jeff Sinclair USE OF THESIS The Use of Thesis statement is not included in this version of the thesis. Abstract The concept of merging exercise equipment with video games, known as exergaming, has the potential to be one of the main tools used in addressing the current rising obesity epidemic. Existing research shows that exergaming can help improve fitness and additionally motivate people to become more active. The two key elements of attractiveness - how much people want to play or use the exergaming system; and effectiveness – how effective the exergaming system is in actually increasing or maintaining physical fitness, need to be maximised to obtain the best outcomes from an exergaming system; we put this forward as the Dual Flow Model. As part of the development of our exergame system we required the use of a heart rate response simulator. We discovered that there was no existing quantitative model appropriate for the simulation of heart rate responses to exercise. In order to overcome this, we developed our own model for the simulation of heart rate response. Based on our model, we developed a simulation tool known as the Virtual Body Simulator, which we used during our exergame development. Subsequent verification of the model using the trial data indicated that the model accurately represented exergame player heart rate responses to a level that was more than sufficient for exergame research and development. In our experiment, attractiveness was controlled by manipulation of the game difficulty to match the skill of the player. The balance of challenge and skills to facilitate the attainment of the flow state, as described by Csikszentmihalyi (1975), is widely accepted as a motivator for various activities. Effectiveness, in our experiments was controlled through exercise intensity. Exercise intensity was Feedback control for exergames v adjusted based on the player‟s heart rate to maintain intensity within the limits of the ASCM Guidelines (ACSM, 2006) for appropriate exercise intensity levels. We tested the Dual Flow Model by developing an exergame designed to work in four different modes; created by selectively varying the control mechanisms for exercise workout intensity and game mental challenge. We then ran a trial with 21 subjects who used the exergame system in each of the different modes. The trial results in relation to the Dual Flow Model showed that we developed an excellent intensity control system based on heart rate monitoring; successfully managing workout intensity for the subjects. However, we found that the subjects generally found the intensity controlled sessions less engaging, being closer to the flow state in the sessions where the intensity was controlled based on heart rate. The dynamic difficulty adjustment system developed for our exergame also did not appear to help facilitate attainment of the flow state. Various theories are put forward as to why this may have occurred. We did find that challenge control had an impact on the actual intensity of the workout. When the intensity was not managed, the challenge control modes were generally closer to the desired heart rates. While the difference was not statistically very large, there was a strong correlation between the intensity of the different modes. This correlation was also present when looking at the players‟ perception of intensity, indicating that the difference was enough to be noticed by the subjects. vi Jeff Sinclair Declaration I certify that this thesis does not, to the best of my knowledge and belief: (i) Incorporate without acknowledgment any material previously submitted for a degree or diploma in any institution of higher degree or diploma in any institution of higher education; (ii) Contain any material previously published or written by another person except where due reference is made in the text of this thesis; or (iii) Contain any defamatory material. (iv) Contain any data that has not been collected in a manner consistent with ethics approval. Feedback control for exergames vii RELATED WORKS During the course of these studies, the following journal article and three conference papers were produced. Full abstracts have been included in Appendix H. Considerations for the Design of Exergames Sinclair, J., Hingston, P., and Masek, M. GRAPHITE '07 - ACM Special Interest Group on Computer Graphics and Interactive Techniques, Perth Western Australia December 2007. 30 Citations according to Google scholar (ERA Level B) Using a Virtual Body to Aid in Exergaming System Development Sinclair, J., Hingston, P., Masek, M., and Nosaka, K. IEEE Computer Graphics and Applications, March/April (2009), 39-48 4 Citations according to Google scholar (ERA Level B) Exergame Development Using the Dual Flow Model Sinclair, J., Hingston, P., and Masek, M. IE 09 - Australasian Conference on Interactive Entertainment, Sydney December 2009 (ERA Level B) Testing an Exergame for Effectiveness and Attractiveness Sinclair, J., Hingston, P., Masek, M., and Nosaka, K GIC 2010 - 2nd International IEEE Games Innovation Conference Hong Kong December 2010 Feedback control for exergames ix Contents 1 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................. 1 1.1 BACKGROUND ON EXERGAMING ..................................................................................... 1 1.1.1 Outline of an Exergaming System .............................................................................. 2 1.2 OBESITY .......................................................................................................................... 6 1.3 SIGNIFICANCE OF EXERGAMES ........................................................................................ 7 1.3.1 Increased Interest in Exergaming as a Means to Managing Obesity ........................ 8 1.3.2 Current Research ....................................................................................................... 8 1.3.3 New Research ............................................................................................................ 9 1.4 SUMMARY ..................................................................................................................... 10 2 REVIEW OF LITERATURE............................................................................. 11 2.1 COMMERCIAL EXERGAMING SYSTEMS.......................................................................... 11 2.1.1 Exercise Bikes .......................................................................................................... 11 2.1.2 Motion Sensors ........................................................................................................ 14 2.1.3 Foot Operated Pads................................................................................................