Makey Makey Workout Counter

9 wearable bands, coated with metal tape, were made to use in conjunction with a MakeyMakey and Scratch 3.0. The program teaches proper form while also serving as a counter, regulating workout sets for pushups, curls, situps, and squats.

1 Inch Wide Copper Tape

8 Alligator Clips

16 Gauge Wire

Length of String (optional)

1 old T-Shirt

1 belt (optional, replaces one of the bands that would otherwise be made)

2 Inch Wide Velcro or Sewing Thread + Needle (see Step 1 for more info)

Scratch Program

MakeyMakey Kit

Cutting Cloth

Gather the copper tape, cloth, and sewing needle and thread. If you want to tailor-make the wearable bands to your size, you may skip these measurements and instead measure yourself. Skip to the final section of this step.

Measure out and cut strips of cloth with lengths of 17 inches, 14 inches, 19 inches, and 24 inches, with widths of 3 inches. Repeat this twice for a total result of:

17 by 3 inches (2)

14 by 3 inches (2)

19 by 3 inches (2)

24 by 3 inches (2)

Cut one strip of cloth (or multiple sewn together, that's fine too!) with a length of 43 inches and width of 3 inches.

Alternatively, an adequately sized belt may be used as the chest strap.

In order, the above lengths correspond to biceps, forearms, calves, thighs, and bust. Wear the bands to the corresponding parts of your body.

Copper Tape and Velcro

Cut the copper tape to the same lengths of the bands. You should result with the following lengths of copper tape:

17 inches (2)

14 inches (2)

19 inches (2)

24 inches (2)

43 inches (1)

Apply the copper tape to the top half of the bands.

Cut 2 inch wide lengths of the rough velcro, to the same lengths as listed previously. Then, apply the velcro to the bottom half of the same side with the copper tape.

Cut the soft velcro to the measurements listed, then apply it on the opposite side of the cloth bands, aligned with the rough velcro.

Having done all these steps, your wearable bands should now be complete!

Wiring

This part is simpler. Cut five feet lengths of the 16 gauge wire 4 times. Expose 1 inch of the wire on both ends, then attach one alligator clip to each end. When using with the MakeyMakey, attach one end of the alligator clip to the MakeyMakey based on what the program instructs, and then attach the other end to the corresponding wearable strap. If done correctly, the wearables should be connected to the MakeyMakey, which would be connected to the computer running the program.

Extra: Sewing Your Own Personal Sizes

If you know that the wearable will only be used by yourself, you may forgo using velcro and instead, sew together a static size wearable. In this instance, you will need to take measurements of your own biceps, forearms, upper calves, lower thighs, upper thighs, and waist. Note that the circumference of your forearms while flexing are larger than the circumference of them while not, so do take that into consideration. Once you have measurements of the aforementioned body parts, you may measure out strips of cloth that are approximately half an inch larger in length than the measurements, along with widths of 3 inches. Fold the strips in half, line them up and pin them together, than stitch them together, leaving 1/4 an inch as seam allowance. Invert them, and you will have the wearable bands. The final step is to simply apply copper tape on the edges or the entirety of of the bands, and your wearable bands will be finished. Wiring is the same as the above, with wire and alligator clips. No photos because I didn't personally do this.

For the sake of brevity, I won't detail the entire process of creating the Scratch Program. Instead, I will link the Scratch program below and dive into the flow of the entire program, to give an idea of how it functions.

https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/623794243

Workout Select

The user is able to click on a workout to select it. The user is able to choose between pushups, sit-ups, curls, or squats.

After selecting a workout, the user proceeds to the Rep/Set select.

Rep/Set Select

The user is able to input how many repetitions of a workout (reps) and how many times they would do the repetitions (sets). The user is unable to input anything that is not a positive number. After this, the user proceeds to the Wear Phase.

Wear Phase

The user is instructed on where to wear the straps. The instructions differ depending on workout. The user will be given an audio cue to notify them that they may move on to the next phase, the Workout Phase.

Connect Phase

The user is instructed on where to connect the straps to the MakeyMakey. The instructions differ depending on workout. The user will be given an audio cue to notify them that they may move on to the next phase, the Workout Phase.

Workout Phase

The user will be instructed with usage of an image and audio cues to execute the workout. This will continue until the user completes the needed amount of reps. If the user has more than one set remaining, they will proceed to the Rest Phase. If the user has less than one set remaining, they will proceed to the End Phase.

Rest Phase

The user will be permitted to take a rest in between sets. This rest is equal to the number of reps plus five times the number of completed sets, in seconds. Once this rest is over, the user will return the the Workout Phase.

End Phase

The user will have completed the workout. The program will congratulate them, and after a delay, permit them to select another workout by returning to Workout Select.