For a manufacturer of pacemakers, the objective was to develop an experiential interactive that would demonstrate conditions for chronotropic incompetence. This is a condition that can afflict users of certain kinds of pacemakers, whenever they climb stairs or carry weight while they are walking, resulting in feeling light-headed.

The LIFE ADAPTIVE PACING CHALLENGE was the solution, a two and a half minute experience that would demonstrate to physicians how fast their heart rate could increase with these activities.

The Challenge was a combination of physical activity and a path through a 3D virtual world. The virtual world consisted of three phases: 1) walking up a city street, then 2) carrying a child (a 20 lb. weight) through a park and finally 3) climbing up the stairs of a baseball stadium.  A platform of pressure plates for simulated walking and a single stair for climbing provided both exercise and the rate of travel through the virtual world.  The faster the player moved, the faster they traveled through the virtual world, all the while driving their heart rate, tracked by a pulse oximeter, higher & higher. To add a level of competition, a leaderboard tracked those with the fastest time.  Some physicians were surprised to see how fast their heart rate was elevated by the end of the exercise.

 After reaching the top of the stairs, the climber could see a grand view of the stadium.  This exhibit was staged multiple times.

[Hat tip: programmer Adrian Resa Jones]