Games Controlled By An Exercise Bike

Fidigit writes "I know that most people reading this won't be _that_ interested in exercise, but given there's tech with it ... What do you think about computer games controlled by an exercise bike in your house? It sounds crazy, but it might just work." Update: 01/14 00:14 GMT by T : An anonymous reader points to another example of the same concept.

Re:Isn't this old news?

[Anonymous Coward]

Actually, it was for the SNES [gamersgraveyard.com].

Nintendo mats?

[the_machine]

Does anyone remember those mats that you could use on Nintendo with games like Track and Field? I had one of those as a child. It seemed like the same good idea that this bike is.... until the second minute of playing the game. Then, it was more work then fun and my friends and I quickly resorted to using our fists instead of our feet. By the second day, the entire mat was stored in the closet never to see the light again.

I think this Reebok bike will become a clothes hanger just like any other exercise bike... unless they figure out how to require it for GTA Vice City play.

At You Local Gym

[Syris]

I've seen dedicated game/excersize equipment at some upscale gyms for years.

Even cooler: an excersice bike with an internet terminal. There's nothing like burning calories while reading /.

Been done before, and it wasn't popular.

[syphoon]

Back in the Net Bubble, something similar was installed at a gym in my city. Two bikes were rigged up so that you'd have to maintain a speed above a certain threshold. Except it didn't power games, but just a plain old browser. The only problem was that the threshold was too high, and as soon as you were able to get a page, you'd be moving too fast to read or use it at all, and as soon as you slowed to reach for the keyboard and type, the screen would go blank again.

DDR maybe?

[Telastyn]

Peh, why not play DDR or something similar? Alot more challenging, and alot better workout. Don't like the high impact? Why not try PPP [redoctane.com]? Like ddr, only with hand waving and arm movements rather than alot of stomping.

Bicycling your way through Quake

[Space Coyote]

A guy I used to work with (word up, Glen) put sometihng like this together wihle he was doing a master's in CS here at UNB. He rigged up his exercise bike so that as he pedalled it would move him forward and backwards, and he just has a mouse by the handlebars to take care of any other input (turning, shooting, etc)

Definitly the best use of an exercise bike I've ever heard of, but I still prefer the kind that you can use as transportation.

Current Nintendo research in this area

[Samir Gupta]

I'm sure you all know what Dance Dance Revolution is, the game that combines a dance pad with arrows on the screen that you dance to -- it's spread like wildfire, and even though it's only available for a competitor's platforms, I secretly admit to playing it to keep myself in shape. :) Some of you may also remember the old Nintendo Power Pad as well, even.

Anyhow, Nintendo is taking the integration of physical activity with video games to a whole new level... we're researching motion tracking in 3-D using purely computer vision techniques, and using no sensors worn on the body, like traditional mocap techniques require.

We've got some interesting preliminary prototypes of this technology, such as Swing Swing Revolution, like DDR, except you have to do swing moves, not merely hit the arrows with your feet, and Kung Fu Master, a remake of the venerable NES game, where you guessed it, need to do real punching and kicking.

We look forward to commercializing this and making Nintendo the first and foremost choice of overweight geeks everywhere!

Re:Been there, done that...

[L-Train8]

How about Namco's PropCycle [coinopexpress.com], where you flew this pedal powered ultra-light thing and popped balloons. It came out circa 1995.

Or Downhill Bikers [klov.com]? I could see a row of these at the gym.

Re:Not news

[mojogojo]

I don't think anybody has done it "right" yet. I've been waiting and watching... for some sort of contraption that you could place your own bike on which could vary the resistance based on feedback from game (i.e. if you are going up hill, then it should be harder to pedal, etc). And all the proper controls easily mountable/dismountable from handlebars...

If someone made a quality piece of equipment that could enhance excercising indoors on a trainer, then that would definately be something - for the off-season.

Sounds geat, to a point...

[Dread_ed]

I was thinking about this the other day while pondering a completely immersive VR environment.

Applied to a, MMORPG this sort of idea could eventually lead to a skill advancement system based upon physical reaction time and endurance rather than mathematical formulas derived from levels and attributes. It could also enhance the gaming experience immensely!

Furthermore, if you included exercise benefits, people could ALWAYS find the time to play their favorite game.

More conservatively, using the human physiological responses to a gaming environment (excitement, endorphins, sustained concentration) could allow for intense exercise and fuel the desire to continue to exercise once the novelty has worn off.

In other words, I think it is a *good thing*.

Nothing like stereotypes

[Anonymous Coward]

Not trying to flame, but I would think that there are plenty of 'us' that -are- into exercise for precisely the reason that we sit in a chair for 8-10+ hours a day.

Initially, it may not be noticable, but after several years, one begins to feel quite unhealthy, if not dull mentally - if they -don't- do something to keep in shape.

Cycling, swimming or a quick walk are the things I look forward to the most after a stressful day. It really helps!

Basically, these stereotypes display ignorance.

IMHO.

Re:This has been around for a while..

[SEWilco]

FitCentric [fitcentric.com] has been making Internet racing products since 1996.

CSA/ESSCO made an interface device with 5 PC games quite some time ago. It was a simple photoeye/reflector beam device with two button pads to strap to handlebars. It could be used with any equipment by aiming the light beam at any moving part, as the rate of pulses was all that was was needed for controlling the speed.
Oh, I see there is one on eBay [ebay.com] now.

Re:Been done before, and it wasn't popular.

[girish]

I went to a gym that had them hooked up to TV's, which I thought was much better, and the threshold was based on what sort of routine you pick. Also, you had a remote right there, and headphones so that no one else would steal the fruits of your biking. I think they had treadmills that were hooked up to the same concept.

saw a really old one at a hotel in Arizona

[adpowers]

When I was staying in Phoenix (I believe), the hotel we were staying at had a fitness center. We checked it aout and they had two stationary bikes with TVs in front of them. You could use the bikes to explore the different maps. The graphics were very, very low quality (it was an old system), but it was 3D. It took me a while to realize it, but both were networked, so my brother and I raced. Another cool feature was that it had two fans built into the cabinet that would change speed depending on how fast you pedeled and would blow air on you to simulate wind. I thought it was very impressive and would be really cool if was updated. The fans were a great addition in my opinion.

Re:Been there, done that...

[MisterFancypants]

Yeah Prop-Cycle kicks ass, as far as such games go. They've recently begun supporting Prop-Cycle in MAME... With a small bit of code, I'm sure one could make it support these bikes...

Real old news (almost ten years old...)

[jorlando]

in the early 80`s Atari had plans for a "exercise-bike". Look at a picture:

http://www.atarihq.com/othersec/puffer/puff521.j pg

that was fora 5200 videogame, but Atari intended to make models from the VCS to the 400 and 800 computers.

More info at http://www.atarihq.com/othersec/puffer/

Re:Current Nintendo research in this area

[lbergstr]

Yeah. Looks like he's been around for a while [google.com], too.

I've seen these before.

[An Onerous Coward]

Winter of 1997, I spent a lot of time in the gym at Ft. Carson, Colorado. They had these cycles hooked up to displays, and you could pedal around this little game world. You steered by shifting your weight left and right. It was sadly non-violent, but you could race or just explore. You could even go underwater, but it was a lot harder to pedal.

I don't remember the brand of the cycles, but they were pretty cool.

Re:Been there, done that...

[langed]

Yeah. This was something that was done WAAAAY back in 1985, with an old Electronic Project 75-in-1 kit [auspexscientific.com].

My oldest brother put a car alternator on the back sprocket of an old exercise bike, and connected it to the kit. He connected up the relay in the kit to a couple strands of TV coax-- one to the antenna, one to the TV.

Net result? To watch TV you had to ride the bike. Stop pedaling, and the TV goes to snow. Start pedaling again and the picture returns. It was a great way of forcing exercise... :)
As an over-active 6-year-old, though, I was often the one to get all the exercise while Mom watched her daily soaps. I remember trying to pace myself so I wouldn't miss anything when I was watching my nightly Star Trek--but I was usually dead-tired when it was over... To this day (I'm 23 now) I can't wear shorts because of how large and powerful my thighs are. People just won't stop staring!

And the best part was, this particular experiment didn't even require batteries to power the whole thing! The thing was eventually dismantled, though--mostly because Mom got mad that she couldn't see Days of Our Lives while I was at school! But, theoretically, that switch in the relay would wear out--but relays are pretty cheap anyways...

DDR Freaks :-)

[Midnight Ryder]

Um, it's a little more than just 'barely lifting your feet'. People who get into that game rarely stop without breaking a sweat. It'd certainly do me more good than the exercise bicycle that's covered in a protective layer of dust.

DDR is now one of my three forms of exersize. (The other two: A membership to the gym which I use for weightlifting, but can't stand things like the bikes. The other is my wife. *Nudge Nudge, Wink Wink*) It's pretty easy to become a Code Potato, setting there in front of the computer not getting any exersize. Working for a computer related company during the day, and owning a game company at night does bad things for your physique ;-)

Anyway - it's a hell of a lot of exersize, even when you learn how to dance 'optimally'. When you start out, you're jumpin' all over the place, trying to get the beat, etc. Once you've got it, you tone it down a lot, but, you start moving faster and faster, picking more complicated songs to work with. I own my own home setup (modified some Playstation pads for use on the PC, and grabbed StepMania to use with it) rather than dump tons o' quarters into an arcade machine or buy a PS. Plus, and overweight 31 year old white guy tryin' to DDR is NOT a pretty sight. Luckly, it improves the more time you spend on the pads. (IE - less overweight, a little more coordinated. However, I'm still a 31 year old white guy lookin' like a dork ;-)

For anyone who's wondered if it works for weightloss, keeping you in shape, etc... I have no real clue. I assume it does. I work up a hell of a sweat, and have a lot of fun doing it. But I've also got a membership to a gym four blocks from here, so, it's hard to tell what makes the most difference.

But I will say this in general for the idea o' workin' out and how it affects your coding skills - I always feel sharper and can work a lot farther into the night after I've been going to the gym consistently. :-)

Re:Will somebody get this right?

[Apotsy]

PropCycle was more than just fun, it was brilliant! I would hog that game for at least 15-20 minutes every time I went to Dave and Buster's until they took it out. It was really immersive, too. The last level gave me a bit of vertigo the first time I got to it.

I don't understand why there hasn't been a sequel. That was one of the most ingenious arcade games ever made. I'd love to have a home version of it.