Gamification

As VR/AR headsets become more and more common, they'll open up all sorts of opportunities to "gamify" what's happening in the real world. Here's a fun example: an app that tracks your vacuum, showing which bits of floor you have and haven't done.

Learning to play the piano is tough, and can be a bit boring. Many people hire a tutor, but technology can help maintain your interest and keep you motivated too. MeloQuest has launched a mobile adventure game that's designed to do just that.

The six finalists in the 2014 Electrolux Design Lab certainly threw up some eye-catching ideas. Electrolux has now revealed the winner, the Future Hunter-Gatherer concept aimed at reconnecting us with our food sources by gamifying the task of grocery shopping.

Pedestrians will often ignore the "red man" at pedestrian lights in order to cross the road sooner. Unfortunately, this leads to accidents. Car manufacturer Smart created an experiment to see if it could improve safety at traffic lights by incentivizing pedestrians to wait for the green man.

The creators of Guitar Hero are now looking to gain a foothold in the rapidly-evolving world of exercise-gaming with Goji Play. The "exergaming" system uses two wireless controllers and an activity sensor to turn a regular cardio machine into a makeshift video game platform.

Green Goose uses wireless sensors attached to everyday objects to award 'players' with lifestyle points for completing various everyday tasks in much the same way as players earn experience points in role playing games.