Fizzees: the digital pet that cares for YOU

Who says computers can't be part of a healthy lifestyle? It's often assumed that spending too long playing games with computers has caused many of us to stop doing the daily exercise that helps keep us fit and healthy. The Fizzees project being developed by Futurelab aims to change that, by giving kids a clever bit of wearable technology: a watch containing their own cute digital pet. You can watch it grow and develop just like any pet, but the twist is that you need to do the work in the real world for your pet to prosper in its digital domain.

Watch your watch

The way your digital pet grows and develops depends on the physical activity you do. The watch device containing the pet is fitted with a monitor that measures your heart rate and your movement. A good bit of exercise means that your pulse increases and you move about a lot more, and this is converted into information that helps your pet grow. Using these devices people start to understand what it takes for a healthy lifestyle. The pet does best when its wearer undertakes the sorts of healthy activities heath experts think are most suitable for their age group. There will also eventually be a website where users can discuss tips with one another and look at how their own healthy behaviours have improved over time.

Putting the fun into healthy

This interactive device is a great example of how a clever idea combined with wearable computing can lead to devices that can improve our lives and also be a lot of fun as well. Perhaps in the future we will all have wearable digital devices that help us have healthier lifestyles: digital pets that actually look after us.