7th International Conference on Pervasive Computing Technologies for Healthcare

Research Article

Make Me Move at Work! An Ambient Light Display to Increase Physical Activity

Download945 downloads
  • @INPROCEEDINGS{10.4108/icst.pervasivehealth.2013.252089,
        author={Jutta Fortmann and Tim Stratmann and Susanne Boll and Benjamin Poppinga and Wilko Heuten},
        title={Make Me Move at Work! An Ambient Light Display to Increase Physical Activity},
        proceedings={7th International Conference on Pervasive Computing Technologies for Healthcare},
        publisher={IEEE},
        proceedings_a={PERVASIVEHEALTH},
        year={2013},
        month={5},
        keywords={ambient display persuasive technology physical activity everyday life office},
        doi={10.4108/icst.pervasivehealth.2013.252089}
    }
    
  • Jutta Fortmann
    Tim Stratmann
    Susanne Boll
    Benjamin Poppinga
    Wilko Heuten
    Year: 2013
    Make Me Move at Work! An Ambient Light Display to Increase Physical Activity
    PERVASIVEHEALTH
    ICST
    DOI: 10.4108/icst.pervasivehealth.2013.252089
Jutta Fortmann1,*, Tim Stratmann1, Susanne Boll1, Benjamin Poppinga2, Wilko Heuten2
  • 1: University of Oldenburg
  • 2: OFFIS - Institute for Information Technology
*Contact email: jutta.fortmann@uni-oldenburg.de

Abstract

Physical inactivity has become a normal condition for many people today, and in the long run accounts for 1 out of 10 deaths world-wide. Long sitting periods have been shown to increase the risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease. In this paper we propose MoveLamp, a system which helps to integrate physical activity into a person's workplace. An ambient light display in the office indicates a person's recent physical activity. While sitting at the desk, typically in front of a computer, the light display helps the person to keep track of his or her activity and encourages them to integrate a little physical activity into the day. Through a user study in which we measured the participants' physical activity by counting their steps, we show that MoveLamp can help office workers to both, increase their number of steps taken during a typical working day and move more frequently.