Technology has boomed massively over the past decade with major advances in digital fabrication through 3D printing. These 3D printing advancements have allowed a new type of experimental and exciting research to emerge. Here at Swansea University, we have put together a multidisciplinary research team involving Sport, Exercise and Health Scientists, Computer Scientists and Arts and Humanities academics. As a team we are collectively working on a novel concept involving 3D printing, to help aid children’s understanding and interpretations of how important physical activity is for staying healthy. The research is titled 3D Printing Children’s Physical Activity.

Physical activity refers to any movement that causes a greater energy cost to the body than simply existing! However, as a society we are now spending most of our time in the horizontal reclined position, snuggling up to our favourite TV shows. It has been recently reported that children in the UK spend an average of 8 hours per week playing sedentary video games and this is associated with increased risk of childhood obesity. More than one third of children don’t achieve the recommended levels of 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) everyday, with approximately 30% of children being overweight or obese. The really scary thing is that childhood obesity tracks into adolescence and adulthood, with figures suggesting that 80% of obese adolescents become obese adults. These figures are alarming and highlight the importance of getting children moving more and sitting less.

The big question is how do we get children motivated and interested in being more active, and dragging them away from such loved engagement with technology? Perhaps the answer is simple: we can’t take children away from technology. So why not use it to get them more active instead? Rewards systems, such as goal setting, physical activity profiles, real-time feedback and social support networks are some of the best ways to help people maintain their motivation to be more physically active. For children, this visual stimulation may take the form of phone apps such as Pokémon Go, Motion Maze, Zombies, Run! and ibtiz kids, which are proving to provide better results in helping children to stay more physically active and interested. But what if we could create something that’s meaningful, visual and tangible for children all in one?