Skip to main content

Forget joysticks — the Guts Game is controlled by a sensor that you swallow

The Guts Game: Designing Playful Experiences for Ingestible Devices

Unless it’s the junk food and endless energy drinks you down while playing a marathon session of Red Dead Redemption 2, it’s not all that often that video games can be said to play havoc with your guts. But that could be about to change — and in a good way, too. In Australia, researchers from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology have created the “Guts Game,” a swallowable biosensor which offers an unusual new spin on the concept of gamification.

Recommended Videos

“There are already many ingestible sensors that can measure the user’s body temperature, pH value, pressure, or serve as endoscopy [tools] on the market,” Zhuying Li, a Ph.D. candidate at RMIT University, told Digital Trends. “We can see these devices might become more and more common in the medical field. However, some people might feel uncomfortable to ingest a foreign object. We believe games [based] around sensors can motivate patients to use the sensor and enhance the overall experience of the treatment. Our game shows an opportunity to make pill-taking interesting.”

Image used with permission by copyright holder

The Guts Game takes the form of a two-player endeavor in which both players start by swallowing a CorTemp sensor. This tiny wireless sensor is designed to transmit information about the swallower’s core body temperature as it travels through their digestive tract. Both players must complete game tasks by changing the body temperature measured by an ingestible sensor. The goal is to get rid of a virtual parasite within 24 to 36 hours. To do this, they can perform real actions like drinking hot or cold drinks, eating spicy food to cause them to sweat, exercising hard, and more. The game ends when the sensor is excreted. The winner is the player who racks up the most points during that time. Think of it like a swallowable, bio-sensing version of the game “Simon says.”

“We have done a user study with 14 participants,” Li continued. “The results showed that people liked the Guts Game overall. Players appreciated the feeling of freedom given by the sensor: The players could not feel the presence of the sensor physically after swallowing. Also, the players appreciated their body being the game interface … rather than just using their fingers to tap the screen or keyboard.”

The researchers think that such a gamification experience could one day be used to ensure that people adhere to a course of treatment by transforming it into a more enjoyable, relatable experience. Making people aware of just what is going on inside their bodies, and how this is influenced by external factors, could also help drive more awareness around health issues.

Luke Dormehl
I'm a UK-based tech writer covering Cool Tech at Digital Trends. I've also written for Fast Company, Wired, the Guardian…
This strange controller changes the way you play PC games
The Alt Motion controller.

Anyone who is into gaming on a PC is familiar with the age-old debate of playing games with a keyboard and mouse versus playing with a standard controller. Some think one way is more accurate than the other, but one designer has taken upon to himself to combine the best of both worlds by creating a controller that could change the way you play your PC games.

The controller, known as Alt Motion, is the work of ex-Razer designer Edward Larkin. Over on the controller's product page, Larkin mentions how this controller can eliminate typing on keyboards to play first-person shooter games.

Read more
Google responds to complaints about Pixel 6 fingerprint sensor
Side view of the Google Pixel 6 Pro.

Owners of Google’s new Pixel 6 smartphone have been complaining about the slow response time of its in-screen fingerprint sensor, or its failure to work at all.

That’s a real pain in the neck (or finger) when you’re left prodding the display in an increasingly desperate bid to access your new Google handset, with many owners ending up having to tap in their PIN.

Read more
Amazon’s air quality sensor can tell you when indoor air is dirty
Amazon Smart Air Quality Monitor

As the temperature drops and we all spend more time indoors, the air quality of your home grows more important. Between the fireplace, filters that need to be changed, and the pollutants that come in from outside, the air quality in your home can get in bad shape before you realize it. Amazon's new Smart Air Quality Monitor provides you with a simple way to check your home's air quality.

The Smart Air Quality Monitor measures particulate matter like dust, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), carbon monoxide, temperature, and humidity. If your air quality is poor, Alexa will send an alert through the app or from your Echo device. Alexa can give you a brief overview of the air quality in your home, but you can take a deeper look through the Alexa app or on an Echo Show device to see trends throughout the day and beyond. Understanding what causes poor indoor air quality can help you change your routine to make healthier decisions.

Read more