{"id":6175,"date":"2016-05-11T09:44:34","date_gmt":"2016-05-11T16:44:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.msdn.microsoft.com\/msr_er\/?p=6175"},"modified":"2016-07-20T07:28:31","modified_gmt":"2016-07-20T14:28:31","slug":"the-swimtrain-exergame-makes-swim-workouts-fun-again","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/research\/blog\/the-swimtrain-exergame-makes-swim-workouts-fun-again\/","title":{"rendered":"The SwimTrain exergame makes swim workouts fun again"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Miran Lee, Principal Research Program Manager, Microsoft Research<\/em><\/p>\n

To many who swim for exercise, workouts come down to the monotony of doing laps\u2014swimming back and forth in a pool. Over and over. Unlike other exercisers, who can make their routines less of a chore by adding a social component\u2014working out with friends, family, or in groups\u2014swimmers really haven\u2019t had many options, because coordinating a group of swimmers is difficult. The Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) and Microsoft Research Asia (MSRA) are happy to report that with SwimTrain, their new cooperative \u201cexergame\u201d research project, you\u2019ll never have to swim alone again.<\/p>\n

SwimTrain is the result of a research collaboration between KAIST and MSRA. The project targets something we can all relate to: exercise boredom. Swimming, while one of the best ways to get fit, can be tedious. The SwimTrain team thinks they have a way to make swimming a lot more exciting.<\/p>\n

\"2015 (opens in new tab)<\/span><\/a>SwimTrain received a lot of attention when it was displayed at the 2015 Microsoft Research Korea and Japan Academic Day.<\/em><\/p>\n

How does SwimTrain work? First, you slip your phone into a waterproof case and plug in some waterproof headphones. Then, you jump in. Players get matched up as a team to form a virtual\u00a0\u201ctrain,\u201d with each player controlling the speed of a single train compartment. Go too fast or too slow, and the game warns you of bumping into other compartments. Featuring narration, vibration feedback, spatialized sound effects, and background music, the immersive experience takes players through different modes of gameplay based on an interval training workout plan.<\/p>\n

\"interval (opens in new tab)<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

Each SwimTrain round consists of three phases:<\/p>\n

Phase 1:<\/strong> Compartment ordering<\/p>\n

Compartments race against other compartments. A compartment is ranked based on a swimmer\u2019s average stroke speed during the race.<\/p>\n

Phase 2: <\/strong>Train running<\/p>\n

Compartments are placed along the same track and run in a circle (like a merry-go-round). To earn points, each swimmer must maintain their current stroke rate with the target stroke rate established in the previous phase. A compartment shifts with the movement of the current stroke rate relative to the target stroke rate, and it should travel without crashing into adjacent compartments.<\/p>\n

Phase 3:<\/strong> Train stop<\/p>\n

The virtual train stops. Every swimmer takes a short rest. The game narrates the final ranking of the current round and information for the next round, such as the duration of each phase and recommended stroke types.<\/p>\n

SwimTrain accomplishes immersive gameplay by relying on advanced tech packed into a mobile phone. The barometer, accelerometer, gyroscope, and magnetometer track swimming activities, determining swimming periods, stroke, style, speed, and other events. This information is fed to a Network Manager based on the Microsoft Azure cloud, and is then delivered back to the game as rank and round data, determining the status of the player in relation to the train. It\u2019s also passed to a Feedback Manager, which provides the auditory and sensory feedback that make SwimTrain unique.<\/p>\n

Preliminary feedback from users is positive\u2014SwimTrain makes you feel like you\u2019re not alone in the pool. According to one test user,\u00a0\u201cAlthough [SwimTrain] didn\u2019t provide any visual feedback, I felt like I was swimming with others.\u201d\u00a0Feedback is also indicating that SwimTrain is providing an immersive and enjoyable experience that\u2019s intense workout, too.<\/p>\n