Our latest WizeFloor update is ready! This time it includes a new app, Image Chaser, as well as newly designed icons for our apps.

Image Chaser

The purpose of Image Chaser is to catch the images moving across the floor. Sometimes they may escape when you step on them and other times you will catch them and the image will change. One of the games is the fruit cutter where different fruits move around and when you step on them they will be divided into to pieces. It is possible to create your own games with any types of images and you can decide if a single image or a sequence of images should be shown with sound.

New app icons

Meet our new app icons that will appear throughout the WizeFloor app. We wanted to give the icons a new coat of paint and hope you like them.

How do I update the software?

To update the software, press the "Update Available" button in your floor menu and follow the instructions. You can also find a link to the software in our help section.

Our latest WizeFloor update is ready! This time it includes two new apps, Fishing Game and Geometrix, as well as a number of software improvements including image search.

Fish Games

Fish games are classic on interactive floors, and we have now launched a version for WizeFloor, which is available in two variations. The first variation is about catching fish and getting the highest team score. The app is suitable to be used with a tool like a long stick for special needs education. The other variation has focus on the sensory experience where you can walk among the fish that will swim away when you come too close.

As usual, it is possible to put your personal mark on the games by changing the background image and music as well as you can change settings such as time and speed.

The games have been developed in collaboration with our Japanese partner Relax'Creation and NHK.

Geometrix

Geometrix is a well-known game, which is now back with a new design based on modern technology. The purpose of the app is to solve geometry tasks by placing objects on the floor and making shapes that meet different criteria such as number of pages, area, isosceles etc. Our app allows you to design your own games with new tasks.

Image Search

A functionality which has often been sought after is image search when creating games. We are happy to fulfill the demand in this version, where we have made it easier than ever to create your own games for WizeFloor. Simply press the "Search" button next to an image field, enter a search phrase and select the desired image. We only search for royalty-free images in high quality.

Other

• It has become easier to create your own obstacles in Obstacle Race. You can for example choose whether the obstacle gives plus, minus or no points, which opens up the use of the app for a variety of new learning games.
• WizeFloor GO can now calibrate automatically when moving the device up or down. In addition, the recognition of hands and feet has been improved.
• The chess game has been removed from the software, as Flash is no longer supported by Adobe.
• The iOS app has been removed from the App Store, as all the features of the editing program can now be accessed directly from WizeFloor.com/app with any browser.

How do I update the software?

To update the software, press the "Update Available" button in your floor menu and follow the instructions. You can also find a link to the software in our help section.

It is particularly hard to keep children occupied while waiting for their surgery. At Hans Christian Andersen Children’s Hospital, which is part of Odense University Hospital, they have found a solution for this.

In an area located in the middle of a 145-meter-long corridor called the Fairy Tale Corridor, you can hear cheering and laughter when children and their parents meet on the interactive floor, WizeFloor. Here the children use their hands and feet to click on the large screen on the floor and play different games either alone or against each other.

The hospital was among the first in the health field to install the interactive floors back in 2013 in both the Fairy Tale Corridor and at the Department of Oncology. The idea was to get the children out of their hospital beds and stimulate them physically and mentally, thus making them recover faster.

"It gives diversion to the children and gives them an opportunity to spend time actively instead of just lying in their wards waiting to get well", Mette Sorang Kjær explains. She works as Welfare Coordinator and Social Educator at Hans Christian Andersen Children’s Hospital.

The interactive floors are a valuable contribution in a period where the hospital is challenged by the stricter demands for cleaning caused by the Corona pandemic. They have a positive effect now that toys have been removed and common rooms have been shut down.

“It has been an obvious success, and the solution fits well with the pandemic because it provides an opportunity for playing without touching anything. It fully meets our original requirements, namely an offer that can draw the children out of their beds and be used 24 hours a day without tidying up and at the same time it can bring children together across diagnoses and special needs. Today, a new feature has been added to the floor,” explains Mette Sorang Kjær.

In her work as a welfare coordinator, she has had the task of creating the best settings for the children at the hospital. In her search for possible solutions, she came across the interactive floor.

The floor is freely accessible, so a lot of children and parents use it spontaneously when they are there. There are no rules for how to use it.

It is both used by the child who is fasting while waiting for surgery together with his parents. Or by a girl who spends her waiting time with the hero in the game. Or it can be a family with brothers and sisters who come from far away to visit a new little brother.

“It draws the children out of bed when their mother or father suggests to go and pop balloons. And I can see something happening in the relationship with those who meet on the floor. A community arises when a child plays football, pops balloons or plays other games with his father. And it also works for children using wheelchair,” she explains.

WizeFloor includes a wide range of activities ranging from quizzes and memory games to balloon games and categorization games. The games are designed to stimulate interactivity, collaboration and inclusion of all users on the floor.

We are pleased to release to new apps for WizeFloor, Obstacle Race and Music Box developed, together with several other software updates.

obstacle race

In Obstacle Race, 1-4 players play together to overcome different obstacles. The players are given their own track on the floor where they run in place. The players encounter different objects such as insects, moles, footballs, bananas and much more. For some obstacles you receive bonus points while others subtract points, so be careful where you step. Eventually points are added up and the total scores of the players are displayed on the scoreboard. There are various options if you would like to design your own game. You may for example create your own obstacles, adjust the number of players, game length or speed.

MUSIC BOX

Music Box is a simple app for the little ones and for sensory rooms. The app plays background music, and the players may activate different sounds by tapping images on the floor, which trigger a funny animation.

It is easy to design your own games, as you can upload your own sounds and images if you wish to work within a specific topic.

OTHER UPDATES

• We have made a small correction of the Sensory Path app, where the shadow on the ceiling version of WizeFloor overshadowed the turtle in the end.
• We have created a mode for social distancing, which allows you to disable games where players get close to each other. The feature is activated by editing your group as administrator and clicking the box "Activate social distancing" and "Save group". The mode is then activated automatically next time you open the floor menu.

HOW DO I UPDATE MY SOFTWARE?

To update the software, press the "Update Available" button in your floor menu and follow the instructions. You can also find a link to the software in our help section.

Nintendo and Pokémon. For several decades, Japan has enriched us with comics and computer games. And now Japanese culture is spreading to WizeFloor, which has a good collaboration with Japanese Relax’Creation.

The Japanese family company already worked with so-called sensory rooms, where, for example, children with disabilities or children in special schools can find peace in a relaxed environment. They were looking for an interactive floor product that they could connect to their sensory rooms, and therefore got in touch with WizeFloor. The collaboration was formally established after a visit to the Alexandra Institute in 2018.

“Although interactive floors are efficient for children with special needs, such systems can rarely be localised or customised for each player,” says Atsuko Hashimoto, CEO of Relax’Creation and explains:

“We looked into creating an interactive floor for Japanese children, but we noticed there were many barriers to achieve the goal. So, we started looking for a company abroad that we could collaborate with and found WizeFloor to fulfil our needs.”

Mutual app development

The collaboration has started a joint app development, says Kaspar Rosengreen Nielsen from the Alexandra Institute, who is responsible for the development of WizeFloor, and who has been to Japan in connection with the collaboration.

“Relax’Creation is teamed up with NHK, which is Japan’s answer to the BBC, and in addition to producing television, they also make educational material. Through them funds have been available to us to go over there and teach them and to start some app development projects. We have been received really well, and we have gotten to know each other well,” he explains.

Collaboration across time zones

The close relationship is especially an advantage when you have to collaborate virtually across two time zones with nine hours difference. Typically, when Kaspar Rosengreen Nielsen arrives at work in the morning, they have answered some questions that he asked the day before. It is a cycle that runs surprisingly well.

“They are really good at making graphics and at concept development. Typically, they have some ideas that they would like done and which we help them to realise. In that way, it is a pure win-win situation, because we have apps developed that will be available to all our customers – not only in Japan, but also in all the other countries where WizeFloor is available.”

WizeFloor has typically focused on school and education, and the collaboration with Relax’Creation has made it possible to tap into their domain knowledge.

They have just released the app "Sensory path", which is aimed at children with special needs to help them relax and concentrate in the classroom. The children follow a sensory path that is projected onto the floor and they handle various obstacles, such as jumping over holes and caterpillars, rotating around themselves, walking sideways and much more. In this way, they both burn off some energy and can calm down before teaching begins.

"It is somewhat different to what we have done so far, and it is also an area Relax’Creation are very knowledgeable about and professionally competent in, so this way we can strengthen WizeFloor in some new areas."

“It also requires making adjustments to the Japanese market. Because one thing is translating software, but another thing is to optimise the content for Japanese thinking. The way they think graphics and sound is different, and overall it gives a different touch and tone than we would be able to do here in Denmark, but at the same time it also helps to make it more interesting from our perspective.”

The new app Sensory Path can be seen here.