Mikibo Workshop

Last updated 10 August 2006

The Mikibo workshop is where most of Mikibo's features are developed. Think of the Workshop as a cross between a digital backyard shed (where the Mikibo team are free to spend time tinkering with new ideas) and a university research laboratory where staff are able to conduct experiments to determine better ways to improve the health of our members. This page will outline some of the goings on in the Mikibo workshop.

Mikibo Professional System (in beta)

The Mikibo Professional System (MPS) has been developed through the Mikibo workshop over a number of months and is now in a live beta test. Through the MPS doctors, dietitians and personal trainers can monitor the progress of their clients, give feedback and set training programs. The MPS is completely integrated with Mikibo so that, for example, a training program set by your personal trainer will be displayed under your Mikibo exercise diary ready to be added with a single mouse click.

Mikibo training program (active)

The Mikibo training program system was developed in the Mikibo workshop. This feature gives members personalized training programs designed around specific goals such as weight loss and getting fit.

Mikibo food search (active)

It may seem simple but the Mikibo food search is packed with features that help it to pull up the food that you are looking for. When you enter a search term it is broken into its individual words. Each word is run through the Mikibo food database of over 11,000 foods. After all words have been passed through the food database the results need to be sorted. Sorting is the most critical part of the whole process as it controls which foods are returned first in the list. A complex algorithm is used to return an ordered list of results. This list is then trimmed statistically to return the final results.

The Mikibo food search algorithm is currently undergoing a major overhaul in the Workshop. The new edition will make use of artificial intelligence to allow improved performance and results that are specifically matched to each member.

Mikibo exercise diary (active)

The Mikibo exercise diary allows members to record their exercise and see how much energy they are expending. The exercise diary calculates energy expenditure using the members weight, age, gender, and level of physical activity. For exercises such as running and walking the program also takes into account the speed or intensity of the exercise to accurately determine energy expenditure.

Mikibo food diary targets (active)

A critical feature on Mikibo is the food diary targets. These allow members to visualize whether they are eating the right amount and the right kind of foods. The energy and fat targets are specific for each member. They take into account the members height, weight, activity level, age and gender.