Design and implementation of an encourager and motivator application for physical activity based on Bluetooth devices and Argos Middleware Platform

Abstract

Argos is a middleware platform developed at the ArticBeans lab at the University of Tromsø. The purpose of Argos is to provide a personal application platform for custom services. In this thesis we look at how Bluetooth devices along with Argos can be combined to create an application for encouraging and motivating physical activity.

Physical activity is steadily decreasing among the population. People are getting more and more unhealthy due to lack of exercise. Playing computer games or watching television is rather normal today, going outside for a walk is something people seldom do.

If a person wants to break the habit of sitting still, he will struggle with breaking the habit and committing to the new lifestyle. A person might have a higher chance of success, if he has something to remind him to exercise at a certain time of the day. The most common reason for failing to break a habit, can be due to lack of reinforcement of the new lifestyle. Having a personal application which allows the person to control his exercise, and also lets him see how much he has achieved, might prove both motivating and encouraging to continue to be more active.