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from 18 months to 21 years--martial arts are absolutely enthralling. Unfortunately, most kids don't have the discipline or coordination to master one. Instead, they find it much more gratifying to hit each other on the head with bamboo sticks in the backyard. (I speak from personal experience here).
The BodyPad gives them an outlet that may not result in a scar. Parents, of course, need to rightly worry about destruction in the living room and other types of potential injury. Ground rules will be necessary--such as stand a few feet apart before kicking.
On the upside for adults, however, is the fact that the system could help curb the obesity epidemic, which in part can be blamed on the sedentary habit of video gaming. Claudel and co-founder Frederic Nicolas came up with the idea as a way to blend video games with their interest in Tae Kwon Do. (PowerGrid Fitness has taken a similar tack with a video game controller that sort of works like a Bowflex.)
How does BodyPad work? Four round sensors--one on each bicep and one under each knee--send a signal to a radio unit on a person's belt whenever the pressure underneath changes, and the radio unit forwards the signal to a receiver attached to the game console.
Crook your arm at 90 degrees and place your other hand on your bicep. Now straighten the arm. Did you notice how the center of the bicep comes up? The muscle's contact with the sensor trips it. (Extend your leg and you will see how the leg muscles do the same thing.)
To a PlayStation 2, that signal is the same as someone pressing a button on a joystick. Because the sensors only send a simple on/off signal when pressure gets applied, it doesn't matter how fast someone kicks or hits. It won't measure speed or force. The focus on pressure also makes the system compatible with most games.
Moving forward, back, down or up is controlled by a small, cylindrical bar.
The fact that the sensors only have to send an on/off signal additionally helps keep down the price. It costs more than a lot of game controllers, but it's not the most expensive item in the $2.5 million accessory market. Each new product only costs about $200,000 to develop. Overall, XkPad makes about $4 in royalties per unit sold from products made under license by third parties, and $4 to $10 on products it sells itself.
Ironically, the possible success of the company's products won't become an advertisement for the European IT market. Claudel is visiting the United States to raise venture capital funds so the company can move to California.
Biography
Michael Kanellos is editor at large at CNET News.com, where he covers hardware, research and development, start-ups and the tech industry overseas. He has worked as an attorney, travel writer and sidewalk hawker for a time share resort, among other occupations.
