Your Virtual Life Coach

In life, we always set new aims or resolutions for ourselves such as reducing our weight; training for a marathon or studying for an exam. But sometimes, we just need a little bit more motivation and inspiration to keep the fighting spirit and morale in top form. A simple motivational and inspirational message or greeting will keep us moving without giving up.

A research institute in German, Fraunhofer Institute, is developing a virtual life coach, eCoach, which can send messages to your cell phone to motivate you and inspire you with a happy song or a short message at a fraction of the cost of the real thing. For instance, if you are under training for a Marathon competition, a message will be sent to you every morning: “What a wonderful morning! It’s time to put on your running shoes and go for a jog around the park”. If you are a university student and want to study for your exams, then the message could be something like this, “Sixty per cent of your fellow students have already read chapter 74. You have not”.

eCoach will be programmed to react to the user’s progress. If they fall behind on their goals, more motivation will be sent. The system relies on the honesty of the user about their progress. Read more about eCoach.