Sqweeze For Fun & Fitness

EXCLUSIVE to the ExerGame Lab: I just heard from Sqweeze CTO & Co-Founder Greg Merril about their newest PC based fitness product. It takes some of the former IA Labs Wii Sqweeze prototype and then adds a wireless controller (via USB) to play several in-house created games (featured in an earlier ExerGame Lab post).  Some of the games will take advantage of the accelerometer (2 or 3 axis) for the more aerobic-natured tasks (running, twisting/rotating) while the other games will work on the upper-body or lower-body to compress the potentiometer and interact with the games (bursting bubbles, shooting a bow and arrow, shooting, etc…).

Determining a player’s True Fitness Age (TFA) is something the company wanted to integrate, similar to the Wii Fit Age. The idea is that you can take the TFA tests at any time and I assume the results will be based on the true force applied to the Sqweeze.  I’m wondering if there are different TFA tests to take and then the score is aggregated (ex. pecs, legs, triceps…)?

As in my earlier post about a virtual trainer (EA SPORTS Active Virtual Trainer as good as a qualified personal trainer?) , Sqweeze will also have a personal trainer to take you through your daily personal exercises and games to achieve your goals. In my mind, this fitness programming will be crucial to the success of this product.  As exergames go, Wii Fit has really shown us how important stickiness is.  Wii Fit worldwide sales (22 million) Wii Fit Plus (8 million). Sqweeze & Move to Better Health!

• Sqweeze is a new way to get a body shaping, calorie burning workout. Using new technology developed specifically for computer interactive exercise, the Sqweeze device let’s user play games online while getting fit! Now you don’t even have to leave your computer to get in shape.
• The Sqweeze device wireless connects to your computer and requires virtually no setup.
• You’ll be able to select your own personalized virtual trainer to help you navigate through the website, play games and workout with you.
• All of your progress is tracked whenever you run the Sqweeze program so you can see your progression over time.
• You can take the Sqweeze fitness tests whenever you want to find out your “True Fitness Age” (TFA).
• Each day your trainer creates a new workout routine personalized just for you and your goals.

THE SQWEEZE CONTAINS:

• High resolution potentiometer that measure the precise amount of force being applied to the handles
• Aircraft grade multi-coil spring that provides just the right amount of linear resistance for a calorie burning,muscle toning workout
• FCC approved wireless USB transmitter
• Advanced Integrated Circuit for translating human force into a recognizable PC data stream

We are eagerly awaiting a pre-launch demo version to try out in The ExerGame Lab and see how students respond to the device, game play and online features,

For more information, be sure to check the Sqweeze link in this blog archive. If you need more information on the research and partnerships being created in the ExerGame Lab, please contact Stephen Yang at exergamelab at gmail dot com.