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Digital Critical Toy Project

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Its purpose will be to help persuade people to live more active lifestyles. ... More time will be added to the clock if the user lives an active lifestyle ... – PowerPoint PPT presentation

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Title: Digital Critical Toy Project


1
Digital Critical Toy Project ENGL 794 Gloria,
Brendan, Hugh
The Nechrometer
2
  • The Nechrometer is a fitness package based on a
    hacked NikeiPod kit.
  • Its purpose will be to help persuade people to
    live more active lifestyles.
  • Its primary motivational factor is not to track
    fitness progress, but rather to remind people of
    the eventual time of their natural deaths.
  • Fear of death, rather than the desire to be
    healthy, is the ultimate call to action, and this
    simple method of reminding people of their
    mortality will drive people to increase their
    lifespan and put off the inevitable for as long
    as possible.

3
The Nechrometer will rely on two systems 1.
Users will install a program on a home computer
that calculates their future natural time of
death. This program takes into account
various lifestyle factors such as smoking,
alcohol intake, average daily diet, and exercise
habits as well as the users current age and
gender, to calculate an estimated date of expiry.
This time is then uploaded to the Nechrometer
via serial connection.  
4
2. Users will wear a Nechrometer (hacked
version of the NikeiPod sports kit) that will
monitor activity levels. The iPod will
convert these levels and display a large
countdown timer which counts down to the users
estimated death date. More time will be added
to the clock if the user lives an active
lifestyle Time will be taken away if the user
is inactive 
5
  • The NikeiPod kit consists of three components
  • an iPod,
  • a wireless receiver that plugs into the iPod
  • a piezoelectric accelerometer/transmitter
    thats mounted on the shoe.
  • the device features the following
  • Pace monitor (minutes/km)
  • Calories burned/Hour
  • Distance travelled
  • (Blood pressure/ Heart rate monitor in future
    iterations)

6
  • The Nechrometer will display a countdown timer,
    but will also offer occasional feedback based on
    performance fluctuations (compared to statistical
    data influencing length of life).
  • accessible via the iPods Extras Menu
  • top numbers define the number of Years, Months,
    and Days remaining, while the bottom numbers will
    describe the number of Hours, Days and Seconds
    remaining
  • the numbers displayed will fluctuate depending
    on various factors that the user would input to
    initialize the program, and depending on the
    amount of real time activity/exercise the user
    engages in

7
  • Technical info
  • The iPod transmitter was designed to activate a
    piezoelectric sensor to monitor the shock of your
    foot hitting the ground with each step (a kind of
    pressure sensor).
  • This transmission is picked up by the iPod
    receiver
  • The transmitter broadcasts raw data in the form
    of pace, calories burned, and distance travelled
  • University of Washington students intercepted
    this serial connection between this transmitter
    and receiver, and designed a device that allows
    them to track the wireless communications
    employed by this NikeiPod kit.

8
  • The Receiver Hack
  • This is the USB to serial NikeiPod adapter.
  • This device allows you to connect an iPod
    receiver to your computer over USB.
  • The user can then 'listen' for transmitter data
    using a Visual Basic program, or by connecting
    the adapter to an Arduino board or other
    microcontroller

9
  • Assembling our Nechrometer
  • Connected the TX and RX (transmit and receive)
    pins on the iPod serial adapter to the matching
    pins on the Arduino board. Also connect the 3.3 V
    and Ground pins on the adapter to their
    respective equivalents on the Arduino.
  • Connected the Nike receiver to the serial end
    of the adapter.
  • Installed Nike on iPod
  • Put Nike transmitter in shoe
  •   

10
  • Viewing Raw Data
  • On the computer, run the Nike Serial Hack
    software (as administrator, if you are using
    Windows Vista).
  • As of right now, we can only view raw data and
    upload it to the computer, but in the future, we
    should be able to analyze the workout performance
    data to generate appropriate feedback comments
    regarding your estimated date of expiry.
  • If the proprietary software used by Nike is
    hacked, you may even be able to modify existing
    audio messages and layout of data on the iPod
    itself.
  •   

11
  • The Arduino Version
  • Built a simplified version of the Nechrometer
  • Basic input/output framework
  • Feedback transmitted via electrical disruptions
    from exposed wire (no sensors)
  • Data received and interpreted with modified
    Arduino code based on a simple counter
  •   

12
  • Questions
  • What are the foreseeable pros and cons of being
    constantly reminded of your mortality?
  • Do you agree that the awareness of mortality is
    not innate in humans rather it is a result of
    our techno-social development?
  • Would you wear the Nechrometer?
  •   
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