.jpg)
Your iPhone can now count how many calories you have burnt in a given day, thanks to a new Walk n' Play application.
The application, developed by researchers at the University of Houston, is available for free downloads from Apple's 'App Store'.
It allows users to have fun while burning calories: players can keep track of their physical activity through their iPhones.
The application debuted in March, had an improved version launched this week, and currently has 3,000 users to date.
Walk n' Play allows players to compete in real time against another iPhone user or against a simulator, and watch the calories burn off as they go about their everyday walking.
"You just keep the phone attached to your waistband or carry in your pocket as you normally would, and it records every little motion you do - from walking to climbing stairs - and translates it into calories burned. The game operates on a 24-hour cycle and tallies everything up daily," said Ioannis Pavlidis, who led the project leading to this application.
Pavlidis further said that the game has an advantage over treadmills, which measure a user's activity confined in space and time.
He says that Walk n' Play allows using the world as a treadmill, typically giving a more accurate calorie count.
Pavlidis also likens it to a form of social networking, motivating users to walk and putting them in contact with others.
"Modern conveniences have changed our way of life. The basic idea behind the application we've developed is for people to get motivated and back to living more active lifestyles," the researcher said.
He hopes that novel application will encourage people to get into the habit of walking more during the day by perhaps taking a walk during breaks at work, parking in a spot that's a little farther from the office, using the stairs instead of the elevator, and developing a habit of walking after meals.
The application, developed by researchers at the University of Houston, is available for free downloads from Apple's 'App Store'.
It allows users to have fun while burning calories: players can keep track of their physical activity through their iPhones.
The application debuted in March, had an improved version launched this week, and currently has 3,000 users to date.
Walk n' Play allows players to compete in real time against another iPhone user or against a simulator, and watch the calories burn off as they go about their everyday walking.
"You just keep the phone attached to your waistband or carry in your pocket as you normally would, and it records every little motion you do - from walking to climbing stairs - and translates it into calories burned. The game operates on a 24-hour cycle and tallies everything up daily," said Ioannis Pavlidis, who led the project leading to this application.
Pavlidis further said that the game has an advantage over treadmills, which measure a user's activity confined in space and time.
He says that Walk n' Play allows using the world as a treadmill, typically giving a more accurate calorie count.
Pavlidis also likens it to a form of social networking, motivating users to walk and putting them in contact with others.
"Modern conveniences have changed our way of life. The basic idea behind the application we've developed is for people to get motivated and back to living more active lifestyles," the researcher said.
He hopes that novel application will encourage people to get into the habit of walking more during the day by perhaps taking a walk during breaks at work, parking in a spot that's a little farther from the office, using the stairs instead of the elevator, and developing a habit of walking after meals.
No comments:
Post a Comment