Development and Application of an Exercise-promoting System for the Elderly with a Gait Indicator

Regular exercise is highly recommended by the World Health Organization to maintain personal health, especially for the elderly. However, it is difficult to maintain motivation through time while going through degradation as one grows older. Additionally, the elderly’s motions might become incorrect as the muscle’s strength is reduced. To encourage the elderly to exercise more, an exercise-promoting system is proposed so that exercising can be more entertaining. The system is built with a gaming concept, in which there are obstacles for the users to avoid and rewards to collect. However, instead of controlling the avatar in the game with a joystick or keyboard, we used a gait indicator, developed by our laboratory, to detect the user’s current walking speed and status. Additionally, haptic speakers are attached to the device so that throughout the game, the device can inform the users to do corresponding actions according to the game environment. In the experiment, users with this system showed a significant increase in focusing in the exercise, compared to normal exercise. Additionally, the system allows the user to consume more calories in a shorter walking distance. With the proposed system, we expect it can make exercising more enjoyable for the elderly and encourage them to exercise more to maintain their health.