Remote impact: shadowboxing over a distance

Exertion games - games that require physical effort from the user - have been attributed with many social, mental and in particular physical health benefits. However, research has shown that most current implementations support only light or moderate exercise. We are presenting "Remote Impact - Shadowboxing over a Distance", in which players punch and kick a life-size shadow of a remote participant in order to win the game. The game includes a novel multi-touch large-scale interaction surface that is soft (so no-one gets hurt), but can detect the location as well as the intensity of the players' even most extreme impacts. Remote Impact shows that computer-augmented games can support extreme exertion while supporting novel experiences, such as a reduced risk of injury and supporting distant players, offering a new way of thinking in which areas Human-Computer Interaction research can contribute to our lives.