Students get kids to move with intelligent exergames

Growthmoves is a consortium formed in 2020 to encourage movement in elementary school children. Simply put, they sit on their chairs too much. How can we counteract that, without sacrificing knowledge development? Students Leon Lieuw, Jesper Jansen and Teun van den Broek researched solutions.

Interaction Design Department

The link between Growthmoves and the student project is the Interaction Design lectureship, which is affiliated with the consortium. The lectorate is engaged in research from Fontys University of Applied Sciences ICT, specifically in the area of human-technology interactions. Projects are often carried out by or with students, as in this case. They work directly, in practice, on knowledge development and research.

Exergames

Leon, Teun and Jesper are specifically involved in the development of exergames. These are games in which physical movement is central. By adding an educational component in this case, they become 'intelligent exergames'. The idea is that students learn while moving, which stimulates and challenges them. Two birds with one stone.

Two projects, one goal

The students were originally working on two projects. Leon and Teun worked on games with a Wii balance board, and Jesper investigated the possibilities of a SmartWall (a technology of Fontys ICT InnovationLab partner company Embedded Fitness). Gradually the students discovered that the basic method for their exergames was the same and they joined forces.

The result is a system for exergames that can be used on almost any device (so among others the Smart Wall and the Wii balance board). In the video they tell us more about it.

Students interested in graduating with a lectureship project within the Fontys ICT InnovationLab can contact Bart van Gennip and/or Teague Murray Marshall for the possibilities.