Anti-hedonistic mechatronic systems

In this paper the concept of anti-hedonistic mechatronic systems interacting with humans is discussed. Up to this time, people have used their creativity to design machines which could reduce human efforts (i.e. robots) or enhance the perceived pleasure (i.e. entertainment tools and virtual reality systems). Nowadays, new machines designed to prevent people from doing something are emerging. Examples are: intragastric balloons to prevent people from eating, timed cigarettes boxes to prevent people from smoking, bracelets to prevent people from nail biting, alcohol-testers connected to car starter to avoid driving under alcohol influence. The aim of this work is to present a survey about anti-hedonistic machines, providing general definitions and a possible classification. In particular a mechatronic system designed to motivate users to do push-ups exercises, by controlling the television energy supply, is presented.