Constant sitting in our everyday lives has become a problem of society. Due to the Corona pandemic and the resulting lockdowns, we are sitting for even longer periods of time, and the consequences of this, from muscle shortening to a higher mortality rate, will be with us for a long time to come.
In order to reduce the time we spend sitting and to motivate us to move more, twelve students have developed a digital device for measuring jumping height. The project is called *Juck uf*, which in English means “jump up.” The most important components of the prototype are an ultrasound sensor, a display, and an Arduino Nano, which was programmed in the C language. As soon as a person steps under the ultrasound sensor mounted on the ceiling, his or her height is measured. When an audio signal sounds, the person can jump, and the highest point of the jump is recorded. The difference between the jumping height and body height is the result, which is shown on the display. In this way, short and tall people have an equal chance. The prototype has already been installed in our school in Dornbirn and is currently in the test phase. In the future, we plan to regularly program changing challenges into the device, as well as the storage of personal jumping data. But the solution is already simple but effective.
Juck uf was awarded a Young Creatives Honorary Mention in the u14-create your world category at the Prix Ars Electronica 2021.
