The collaborative game for remote makers

First, visit our group website!! I hope you enjoy ;)

The Fab Labyrinth. (Full Slide 1920 x1080 px)

THE SITUATION

(23.03.2021 08:40 a.m.) As I have previously explained, during this week, we had planned to meet (physically) all the remote and local students at Fab Lab León to build our machine during the week before Easter.

But unfortunately, our crewmate Mauro, has spent several weeks sick and hospitalized for COVID-19, and we have been very concerned and aware of his health during these weeks. 😣😥

(31.03.2021 17:27 p.m.). On Wednesday afternoon, we verified that Mauro is still alive!🤩🤩, although with extra oxygen. 😢(06.04.2021 15:29 p.m.) Throughout this week, he informed us that he was feeling better every day, until the day before our presentation he informed us that he had been discharged and was at home. 🎉🏡

What great news he gave us !!! 😍😍

Faced with this situation, it was decided the group project would be developed, via online, between León (Fab Lab León) - Madrid (Fab Lab IED Madrid + Fab Lab UE Madrid) - Cuenca (Fab Lab Cuenca), waiting for Mauro, if he was better, he could join Team Madrid, at the moment when he looked better.

FIRST IDEAS

During previous weeks, we were doing some brainstorming sessions on Saturdays to see what kind of machine we wanted to make or design. At first, all the options we had thought were machines that we could do physically between us. (25.03.2021 11:24 a.m.) But given the new situation, we had to think of some type of affordable project to we could replicate in each of our fab labs or between two, as we did Alberto and me.

Among the entire list of possible projects that we could develop, we all liked the idea of creating a collaborative game where participants have to jointly solve a maze in order to win. This idea arose from some Mickaël workshops has done with the children at Fab Lab Cuenca, based on traditional French games.

We all thought it was a wonderful project! 😍 so we opted for this idea.

FIRST SKETCHES

Once we decided the type of project we wanted to do, between us and our instructors we started looking for references of other similar projects. we found three similar references: Marble Maze (FabLab CEPT), Tilt Controlled Marble Maze and DIY Android + Arduino controlled Labyrinth game.

From here, each one of us began to distribute the tasks. In this case, as fab labs that are part of schools such as UE Madrid and IED Madrid closed for Easter holidays, Alberto and I took care of the machine design; Sergio from the programming, and Mickaël would reproduce the machine at Fab Lab Cuenca, giving us support in the design and programming.

Alberto and me began to draw some diagrams of what the machine could be like. And to begin, we opted for making a simple structure with a double frame.

(25.03.2021 11:24 a.m.) While Alberto was drawing the structure in Catia, I think about what kind of labyrinth we could make. The initial idea was to make some modular maze templates with different levels of difficulty. To start with, I opted for a simple circumcentric maze model, where at the end the players have to reach the center of the platform to win.

DESIGN AND DIGITAL ASSEMBBLY

(29.03.2021 20:23 p.m.) When Alberto drew all the base pieces of the structure and the mechanism, I was assembling all the pieces together in 3D, to check fit well. For several hours we were adapting and rethinking the standard measurements that our labyrinth should have.

When we had it defined, I dedicated myself to drawing the labyrinth paths and its base.(30.03.2021 10:17 a.m.) Once finished, I sent the files to Mickaël, so he could build the first prototype structure and labyrinth. (30.03.2021 17:34 p.m.)In the afternoon, Mickaël and I, did a critical session to see what changes we had to make in the parts of the structure and the labyrinth walls.

(31.03.2021 16:54 p.m.) The next day, with Alberto, we were looking at the possibility of adding some gears, to give meaning the mechanical part that this assignment requires. So , for this version 1.2, were added some 20:10 Gears, some support parts for the motors , and the structure was taking a more ergonomic shape.

Until Alberto had the idea of modifying the base of the labyrinth to make modular wall pieces that would serve us to make our own modular labyrinths. Bravo Alberto! 👏👏

Starting with the new version 2.0 parts, I started assembling the 3D parts, as well as drawing a simulation of where the motors and gears would be incorporated.

Finally, these have been our two maze design versions. The version 1.0 reproduced in fab lab Cuenca (with new additions of version 1.2) and the version 2.0 reproduced in fab lab UE Madrid by Alberto and me.

ELECTRONICS DESIGN AND PROGRAMMING

For the parts related to programming and electronics design development, you have more information on the web pages of my crewmates Alberto González, Mickaël Pitarresi and Sergio Herranz.

However, here you can see a small introduction about the circuit and programming that Mickaël and Sergio made for the machine.

PHYSICAL ASSEMBLY AT FAB LAB UE MADRID

(05.04.2021 17:37 p.m.)Upon returning from Easter vacation, Alberto and me got down to business building the second version of the machine at Fab lab UE Madrid.

There, while Alberto started to 3D printing the game controllers, I began to cut the pieces of the structure and the maze.

(05.04.2021 23:05 p.m.) At night, I took the pieces home, and found that some of the joins was undersized.

(06.04.2021 09:12 a.m.) So, we started to readjust the laces and the next morning, before our regional review, we cut the pieces again and we started to assemble the machine again.

Here you can watch a timeline where Alberto and I are setting up the machine:

And here, Alberto is testing the mechanical movement of the machine by hand, to check that everything works perfectly!

While we make the final adjustments to the assembly of the structure, we begin to mill the electronic boards controls that Sergio has designed for the joysticks.

Once milled, I am soldering the two electronic boards, which incorporate:

• 1x orange LED (Board I)
• 1x blue LED (Board II)
• 1x 499Ω resistors
• 2x 10KΩ resistors
• 1x 1x6 male pin header
• 2x Switch Buttons (For each board)

Here you can watch a timeline where I am welding both PCB boards:

This is the final result of the PCB boards!, which we later incorporated into Alberto's joysticks design, which consists of a 3D printed part, and a sandwich-mode coating made with DM and finished in acrylic.

(06.04.2021 12:28 p.m.)During the programming process, we had some funtional problems and cold welds on one of the game controllers boards that I soldered and milled. 😅 We had to re-mill and weld other new boards, until we got the last PCB board works!. I was pleasantly surprised by how fast and easy I was getting to weld during this assignment. Something that I never thought I could do. 🤣💪

And finally, this is the final result of the physical development of the machine. 😍😍

SLIDE, VIDEO AND WEBSITE DOCUMENTATION

In addition to the design part, I have taken care of all the graphics, composition, development and documentation of the slide, the group website and the group video.

As an architect, whenever there is a competition, I first outline the parts of a project that I want to convey as well as the possible composition of it in the work space. From here, this has been the development of the slide from the first sketch to the final slide.

For the video, depending on the work that we were developing and recording individually or in pairs, I made a storyboard and the design, presentation, videos selection and music parts.

However, due to lack of time, while I got together with Alberto to document the webpage, I sent the short videos and the storyboard to Mickaël, who edited the video with an exceptional result! 😍😍

About the documentation, as we developed parts of the project, I was defining the aesthetics and composition of the website. Since we had to prepare all the files and upload them to the web, Alberto helps me to the written parts of the website, until we reached the final result that you had seen at the beginning. 😉😉

FINAL RESULT

After these two weeks of hard work, together we managed to develop and program two replicated machines in two different parts of Spain.

(07.04.2021 18:39 p.m.) After our final presentation with Neil, we had a group meeting where we congratulated each other for the good team we formed, how fun and great it has been to work with them. Great my crewmates of Fab Lab León! 😍😍 I love you guys! 💗💗💗