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SmartPads: a plug-N-play configurable tangible user interface

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Abstract

One common concern with video games today is the lack of physical activity they demand from the user. The design of games and tangible user interfaces (TUIs) that stimulate players and engage them into fun exercising activities is starting to attract the attention of many researchers and companies. This paper presents the software and hardware design and development of a TUI intended for exercise-based games targeted mostly towards children. The proposed TUI, SmartPads, can be constructed using elemental building blocks (pads) into numerous shapes. The pads-which are individually controlled by microcontrollers-are mapped onto a computer screen in real-time. A user interacts with the TUI by stepping on the pads. To evaluate the functionality and efficiency of the TUI, we developed three games in the field of exergaming. The games also have an educational value and are integrated with multimedia output modalities to enrich children’s playing experience.

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Abbreviations

3D:

Three dimension

AR:

Augmented reality

CST:

Connection status tree

DC:

Direct current

FSR:

Force sensitive resistor

GND:

Ground

GUI:

Graphical user interface

HR:

Heart rate

ID:

Identifier

IDE:

Integrated development environment

IN:

Input signal

LED:

Light-emitting diode

OUT:

Output signal

padID:

Pad identifier

PC:

Personal computer

RX:

Serial receiving line

sideID:

Side identifier

SPEED:

SmartPads exergaming and edutainment diversion

THR:

Target heart rate

TPL:

Time per letter

TUI:

Tangible user interface

TV:

Television

TX:

Serial transmitting line

USB:

Universal serial bus

Vcc:

Integrated circuit power supply pin

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Acknowledgement

This work is funded by a grant from the Qatar National Research Fund NPRP 09 - 052 - 5 - 003. Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the QNRF.

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Correspondence to Basim Hafidh.

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Hafidh, B., Al Osman, H., Karime, A. et al. SmartPads: a plug-N-play configurable tangible user interface. Multimed Tools Appl 72, 1507–1530 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11042-013-1459-z

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