Video game follows your movements, adapts to your heart rate

Sure, your heart keeps busy, pumping blood, beating all the time, and constantly making sure you don't die, but the researchers at the University of Udine in Italy have a better use in mind: making your video games more challenging. Using a "pulseoxymeter" sensor, users can control games by physical movement, while the difficulty and speed of the game are adjusted to the heart rate of the player. The system is meant to be used for maintaining the appropriate level of exertion during exercise, based on a physical response. Of course, all the exercise in the world won't make that bad looking knock-off of Breakout any more fun. Check the video after the break.

[Phil Ringsmuth @ Jun 25th 2007 5:08PM]

I would love for someone to be able to clarify this for me, but I believe there was once a Tetris game in development for either the N64 or Gamecube in which the player wore a small sensor that clipped onto their earlobe. This was supposed to measure the player's heart rate and increase the game's difficulty level accordingly.

I do hope that more games can utilize features such as these in the future. I really enjoy playing games like DDR or the dancing bunnies mode on Rayman: Raving Rabbids, and I think they'd be even better if they could react to your heartrate for an awesome workout.

[J. Evans Turner @ Jun 25th 2007 5:50PM]

Yes. "Bio Tetris", with the included heart-rate monitoring ear clip, was released for Nintendo 64 in Japan only.

[J. Evans Turner @ Jun 25th 2007 5:51PM]

You can find pictures of the "Bio-Pak" accessory here:
http://www.retroage.net/index.php?id=akcesoria/nintendo/n64/bio_sensor

It is inserted into the N64 controller's I/O expansion slot, normally used for the Rumble Pak, Memory Pak, or Transfer Pak ("64GB Pak" in Japan).

[Big @ Jun 26th 2007 1:42AM]

This really doesn't make sense to me.

What if your dealing with a person with a calm steady heartrate who is not "challeneged" by games?
Then the level of difficulty shouldn't increase right?

I play Quake 4 on 360 alot and I'm always cursing and shouting at the screen. This device would probably think I'm having a panic attack and tone the gameplay down to a crawl.

[david @ Jun 25th 2007 5:15PM]

i remember a game where u died if ur (in game) heart rate went up too high, it was a survival horror set in an abandoned amusement park or something.

this would be nice for horror games, or fps (your heart rate goes up gives you a speed boost then u go slower, aiming especially for snipers....)

[Jonathan Keim @ Jun 25th 2007 6:03PM]

Get ready for the drugs that change heart beats.

What? There's a drug for everything

[DT @ Jun 25th 2007 10:15PM]

It's called metoprolol.

beta-blockers FTW!

[Big @ Jun 25th 2007 5:35PM]

a great way to be certain senior citizens don't die playing Wii Sports.

[Ted @ Jun 25th 2007 5:52PM]

"In Soviet Russia, Video Game play You"

[Dave @ Jun 25th 2007 6:14PM]

The HoloDeck Safety Protocols are offline!

[Eric V @ Jun 25th 2007 8:01PM]

Man, what a let down...

[StandardAI @ Jun 25th 2007 9:37PM]

Four Words, Chubby fat american kids.