Awakening Hammer-Ritual of Qi

A culturally-inspired wellness game prototype for rethinking sedentary breaks through play, breath, and movement.

"Awakening Hammer" is a wellness game for sedentary lifestyles, combining Chinese health rituals with interactive design. Developed by Yu Xiang and Prof. Zuo Tengjia’s team at HKUST, it invites visitors to reawaken vitality and co-create playful micro-movement rituals.
West
Health & Wellbeing
Service & Innovative Design
Care
C1
Next Nature Museum
Noord Brabantlaan 1A
5652LA

Entrance fee

Free access

Hosted by

clockcloud-lab x Tengjia Zuo research group
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Opening hours

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Free Wifi Free wifi available
Toilets Toilets available
Wheelchair Friendly Fully wheelchair accessible
Wheelchair Friendly Toilet Wheelchair friendly toilet available

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Reimagining Vitality Promotions through Cultural Wellness Games

Sedentary work habits pose a growing health risk, yet conventional gyms often don’t suit daily office routines. “Awakening Hammer” offers a playful alternative—an interactive wellness game inspired by traditional Chinese practices like Pai Ba Xu and the use of therapeutic hammers. By combining rhythm cues, breath guidance, and light tapping movements, the game supports light physical activation during short breaks. Rather than prescribing fixed routines, it encourages embodied experimentation and reflection. This prototype rethinks how design can support micro-NEATs (Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis) in modern contexts—blending culture, technology, and self-care into a personalized wellness ritual.

Hosted by clockcloud-lab x Tengjia Zuo research group

clockcloud-lab is an independent design research lab founded by Xiang Yu, a PhD candidate at TU/e. The lab explores interdisciplinary and intercultural approaches to design, aiming to bridge creativity gaps in how we respond to today’s complex societal challenges. Collaborating with academia, industry, and public institutions, the lab bridges creativity gaps through behavior change design, participatory methods, and gamified design experiments.

Colofon

Head of the Serious Game Design Research Team at The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (Guang Zhou), providing design guidance and technical support for the game's development in this project.
Tengjia Zuo

Partners

Sponsored by Awakening Hammer-Ritual of Qi