A new Kickstarter campaign is looking to make your gaming experience more immersive, while keeping you in shape. TreadGaming turns your body into a gaming pad, so you can workout while you play.
This is not like the Kinect or Wii. It uses a small device that is attached to your body to calibrate your movements more fully, and to offer intuitive action across all gaming platforms. It will work on any modern generation gaming platforms.
You can use it on treadmills or exercise bikes, as well as doing regular exercises. That may expand in the future, or it may be compatible with other machines already. The nature of the device makes it a much more open platform solution that what we are used to for movement based games.
Calibration is simple. You just push a button, and for ten seconds you move at a pace you feel best matches the game itself. From there, it does the rest and sets the settings in case the device becomes unplugged.
That is a downside to this first generation device, that it has to be plugged in. But a wireless version is definitely possible if this thing takes off. We are dealing with a first generation project, so we can’t be too picking about it. Luckily, the wires have plenty of give.
There are 20 days left for this project, and it sadly has not yet reached its goal. That isn’t too surprising, given the product itself. People might be holding out for a more official version to be released from a major producer, or for well known devices like the Kinect to gain a bit more stable footing.
But this is a genuinely cool product, doing some really cool things. The fact that it is cross-platform gives it a serious edge. And having a physical device, even wired, is beneficial as it allowes for a direct reading and calibration that none of the other movement based gaming devices have gotten down.
Hardware Specifications:
- ATXmega32A4U 8-bit AVR 32Mhz CPU (which is overclockable to at least 64Mhz)
- 32Kb Flash Memory
- 4K SRAM
- 1KB EEPROM
- Slots for 2 Wii Nunchucks
- ADNS 9500/9800 Laser Sensor
- 4 LEDs (Red, Green, Blue and Yellow)
- 3 Buttons (Flash Firmware, Reset and a Misc button)
- Nordic Semiconductor nRF24L01+ chip module. RF module for optional wireless communication
- Mini USB (more rugged, stable and robust connector compared to micro)
ADNS Laser Sensor Specs:
- 3.3V or 5V compatible
- Advanced technology 832-865 nm wavelength VCSEL
- No power calibration needed for laser
- Compliance with IEC/EN 60825-1 (Eye Safety)
- On-chip laser fault detection circuitry
- Self-adjusting frame rate for optimal performance
- Frame rate up to 12,000 fps
- Resolution up to 8200 cpi in ~200 cpi steps
- Focusing Lens included
TreadGaming PCB, laser lens, and the enclosure (base, lid, buttons) will cost just $29. The big package has a high price tag that might keep you from getting the actual package. But if you have some spare cash and want to contribute for a thank you towards a potential future movement based product, you should check this out.
Source: TreadGaming(KickStarter)
