WalkAbout is a mobile utility that turns a person’s daily physical activity into social currency. Using a mobile phone’s built-in accelerometer, the system runs in the background, counting the user’s steps as s/he goes about his/her daily business. WalkAbout users can dedicate their steps to a variety of different participation modes – each mode defined by different degrees of social engagement and competitiveness.

The goal of the application is to stimulate activity among people with sedentary lifestyles by building awareness of their current activity levels and leveraging this awareness to stimulate further activity through the use of social engagement, and competitive and cooperative game modes.

Challenge friends to a walk-off – the first one to reach the desired number of steps wins. Challenge yourself to a personal goal, or walk for a common cause, where steps from all supporters are combined.Here is a link to a conceptual video describing the application’s functionality: