Office workers and residents around Osaki Station battle in team challenges through daily exercise! "Every Sport!" experiment event held to energize both the city and bodies using wearables and SNS

Dentsu Inc. International Information Services (ISID) Open Innovation Lab (InnoLab), Sports Club NAS, and the Osaki Station West Exit Shopping District Association will hold the participatory experimental event "Every Sport!" from March 2 to 29, 2015, targeting office workers and residents around Osaki Station.

This experiment aims to create a system where participants enjoy and sustain daily exercise using wearable devices, SNS, and digital signage. It also seeks to foster interaction between locally based companies, the local shopping district association, office workers, and residents, collectively expanding enjoyment within the community.

Key Points and Overview of the Experiment

This experiment focuses on two main verification points. The first is to see how well participants maintain motivation and effort by turning daily activities like walking, running, and climbing stairs into a team-based game using wearable devices and SNS. The second is to determine whether mechanisms that bring together office workers and nearby residents—who typically have little interaction—by forming teams and requiring visits to designated touchpoints within the area can contribute to building a local community.

A total of 60 participants—30 office workers and 30 residents (openly recruited) around Osaki Station—joined the experiment. They were divided into five teams to compete over the period based on their activity levels (walking and running distances). Sony Mobile Communications' wristband-type wearable device, the "SmartBand Talk SWR30" (hereafter SmartBand Talk), was used to measure activity levels. Facebook groups were used for announcements from the organizing office and team communication, allowing participants to exercise wherever they preferred. However, to convert exercise into points for their team, participants must touch their SmartBand Talk to digital signage installed at two locations: the ThinkPark complex at Osaki Station's West Exit and surrounding facilities. Each time pre-set conditions are met—such as the number of touches or participants—discount tickets usable at local shops and facility stores, or gift items, will be provided.

During the event period, a mini-game will also be available where participants can earn points by moving in front of the digital signage, allowing the general public to easily join the experiment. On the final day, an awards ceremony will be held featuring results announcements and recognition, along with experiential events themed around "Sports and Technology" and soccer clinics for local children.

Roles of Each Party

Inolab, the organizer of this experiment, is advancing research and development for community building centered on sports, uniting companies, residents, and commercial facilities that make up the city. This effort is based on the collaborative research project "Sports & Life Technology Lab," launched in August 2014. This experiment marks the first proof-of-concept trial conducted under that project. Inolab will handle experiment planning and operation, provide the digital signage system, collect data from SmartBand Talk and manage cloud integration, develop prototype systems for various content management, and analyze experimental data.

Sports Club NAS will provide sports instructors to offer effective advice and encouragement to participating teams and handle data analysis from a sports medicine and science perspective.

The Osaki Station West Exit Shopping District Association will provide discount tickets and goods, and feature the association's famous local mascot character, "Osaki Ichiban Taro," at the award ceremony.

The following companies will also cooperate in the experiment.
Device Cooperation: Sony Corporation / Sony Mobile Communications Inc.
Sponsor: MOS FOOD SERVICES, INC.
Sonnett Corporation
Footnic Co., Ltd.
Puma Japan Inc.
Meidensha Corporation and Meidensha Health Insurance Association
Technical Cooperation: Koozyt, Inc.

"Every Sport!" Event Overview

Implementation Period        March 2 (Mon) to 22 (Sun), 2015
Digital Signage Operating Hours: 8:00 AM - 8:00 PM during the above period ※Subject to change during the event period
Digital Signage Locations      Two locations in the Osaki West Exit area (Inside "THE FooTNiK" store, ThinkPark 1F; Inside "Sports Club NAS Osaki" store, Daiwa Roynet Hotel 2F)
Participants Team Battle / Approximately 60 people (Planned: 30 employees from participating/cooperating companies, 30 nearby residents recruited from the general public)
Mini-Games / Anyone can experience during digital signage operating hours (free)

<Award Ceremony>
Date/Time & Location: March 29, 2015 (Sun) 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM, ThinkPark Arena
Participants: Open to anyone (free)

Every Sport! http://www.everyspo.com
ISID News Release: http://www.isid.co.jp/news/2015/0213.html