Muscle Mouse

The sedentary lifestyle of the average American has been implicated in many major health issues, both due to its contributing role in obesity and its potential role in poor vascular and bone health. We want to explore ways to make computer use physically engaging, to repurpose the many hours seated in front of a desk in a typical office setting.

There have been a number of efforts along these lines, such as standing (or even treadmill) desks and apps that encourage a user to take frequent breaks or perform various exercises. However, due to the hassle, most workers do not use these programs in a meaningful way. Furthermore, due to the low-level system access required, such software requires admin privileges, thus preventing installation by individual workers.

As a way to explore this type of interaction, we developed an HID mouse device that uses EMG sensors to detect when a user is engaging a target muscle (e.g. core training). During training periods, when the user fails to engage the muscle, the mouse will disrupt normal mouse usage by rapidly oscillating back and forth. As soon as the user reengages, the mouse returns to normal.

Built With

• embedded-c