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In a darkened computer lab at Carleton University, Hannah Johnston is getting ready to run the hurdles.

The 22-year-old is wearing jeans - not athletic gear - and three small sensors are clipped to her body: one on her hip and one on each foot. She bounces in her socks as she waits for the computer game to begin.

Anthony Whitehead, an assistant professor in the school of information technology, has hooked his laptop up to a projector.

As the theme from Rocky fills the room, Ms. Johnston's avatar, a cartoon hurdler that represents her on the screen, appears on the screen and starts running down a track.

Ms. Johnston begins sprinting on the spot. The first hurdle approaches and she leaps into the air, but not high enough. Her avatar crashes - not once, but 10 times in a row. The second time she plays, she makes it over one of the hurdles.

"It gets tiring," she says. "It is different than sitting at a computer."

Not many computer scientists work up a sweat designing new programs, but Dr. Whitehead, Ms. Johnston and several other students are trying to improve on video games that get players up and moving.

Traditional video games have been blamed for contributing to childhood obesity, but Dance Dance Revolution, introduced by the Japanese company Konami nine years ago, is such good exercise that schools in the United States have started using it in gym classes. The game comes with a floor mat, which essentially puts computer buttons underfoot. As a song plays, arrows appear on the screen - forward, back, left or right. Players step on the corresponding arrows on the floor mat.

Nintendo makes Wii Sports games that allow people to play tennis, baseball, or golf in their living rooms. Its bowling game has become popular in seniors' residences, says Dr. Whitehead.

"It is pulling seniors out of their chairs."

But the Wii games use only one sensor, and Dr. Whitehead says that when they came out about a year ago, he wondered if it was possible to develop more complex athletic games using more sensors.

"The goal is to embed more realism into the games," says Dr. Whitehead.

In addition to the hurdles, the team also developed a long-jump game and a 100-metre sprint. When Ms. Johnston plays them, three sensors on her body tell the computer how fast her feet are moving. It calculates her speed, and how far she jumps.

They also came up with their own dance game, "Thriller." Ms. Johnston, in the final year of her undergraduate degree, copies a series of Michael Jackson poses held by a figure on the screen. This game uses four sensors, which tell the computer if her body is in the right position. If she gets a pose right, coloured stars appear.

It seems to be a bit easier than the hurdles. Ms. Johnston is better at it, and says her mother has tried it, and liked it.

Dr. Whitehead isn't sure how many calories Ms. Johnston is burning, but after half an hour playing the games, she has worked up a mild sweat.

A multiyear study done this year by Linda Carson at West Virginia University found that overweight children who play Dance Dance Revolution regularly have better overall fitness scores and lower blood pressure.

"It is better than putting your butt on a couch," says Dr. Whitehead.

The new, multisensor games are part of a research project, and Dr. Whitehead has no plans to develop them commercially. But someone else may want to, he says.

Interactive Tai Chi, yoga or Pilates programs could be designed for adults who prefer to exercise at home. The technology also could be used for remote physiotherapy. Patients would follow instructions in a video, then perform the exercises while wearing sensors. A computer program would tell them if they were doing them right.

Dr. Whitehead now wants to see what kind of games he can develop using eight, or even 16 sensors.

"We want to make games with more complex movements."