Concept evolution¶
This section is still work in progress. Please, also check week 02 and week 03.
Overview¶
My project is basically a device that tracks activiy and then interacts with a 2D game.
I divided the project in 3 phases:
- Activity tracking: Use an accelerometer to track movement.
- Sync activity: Sync the data to another device and have the software on this device turn it into ‘life’ for a character.
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Play game: Stream the gyroscope data to use the device as a game controller.
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A nice to have is to accomplish a multiplayer game and interaction between the devices (probably not going to happen).
Concept¶
In a world with so many mobile games, so many game consoles and computer games, many children have stopped doing physical activity. How can we encourage movement without going against technology? How we can use technology to foster relationships between children?
It is certain that my solution is deeply limited by my skill-set and also by my background. One of my goals is to develop an MVP for a product. Therefore, there are many things that I have to define in order to have time to explore the technologies that I do not know.
There are many papers about active gaming, but I must highlight that I’m not an expert in any of these areas (gaming nor kids). That’s why my idea is to use these as a proof of concept to test and iterate.
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Active Gaming as a Mechanism to Promote Physical Activity and Fundamental Movement Skill in Children
The idea¶
The idea is to develop a tangible interface that he can track your steps, use that data to give life to a character in a virtual game, and then, turn into the game controller to play that game.
The first step would be to attach the device to your shoe. I want to use the shoelaces because they are super versatile. So, you’ll have a support that you’ll attach to your shoe. The device must be easy to take off and on. So I decided to create a rail with neodymium magnets at the end.
After fitting the device, you’ll have to turn it on and go for a walk. The idea is to calculate a proxy of the time / activity relationship. There is a maximum point that would mean that you have already collected 100% of the energy necessary to charge the life of the character. To this I want to add a feedback on the OLED of the device. If you move, then a happy face appears. If you don’t move then it show a sad face.
You have already charged enough energy, now you must synchronize the device with the game through bluetooth. This part is controlled from the software of the other device. I have not yet defined whether it will be desktop or mobile. So, syncing the device charges the character’s life.
After charging the energy, you can play. The device also has a gyroscope. I want to use the angle Y position from the gyro to move the game character. At first I had thought of doing something with Blender and then using it in Unity 3D, but for the sake of the final project, I decided to go with a 2D game like Space Invaders or Bitter Sam.
Research¶
My research is more focused on products and types of interactions. One of my interests is to explore the interaction of an unconventional device and achieve gestures that are as natural as possible. But this is probably very ambitious, I think I’m content with the device connecting to the game and being able to move the character in some way.
Sketching and 3D Modeling¶
Here are some preliminary designs I’ve been testing + some initial evolution of the character.
3D character modeled in Blender¶
After my first animation, I read this guide topology guide to understand how I have to model my character to create a proper animation. Still need to improve a lot to get something decent.
3D initial prototype modeled in Rhino¶
