For the concept refinement I helped with three things: game design (my primary focus), the electronics (specifically which lighting components we will use, helped some with the pseudo-code, and system block diagram), and the scale factor for the device.
GAME DESIGN
Part of my participation with the finalization of our concept of furthering defining exactly what our user will experience using our product. From this, things such as scale factor and electrical components needed, etc. were determined.
VOCABULARY:
- Smaller cylinder (SC): the part that ejects/inserts into the main central table, 2- 2.5’ in length, 7” diameter
- Components: the twisting parts that comprise a cylinder, 4 or 5 per cylinder, each of 6” length
- Central table = big, imposing central device that the cylinders eject from/get inserted into, 45.5” top height, 30.5” lower height, 45* angle between slant and top/side, 3’ per octagonal side (see picture)
- Central cylinder = giant cylinder (to the ceiling, 4’ diameter) that is slowly powered up as each smaller cylinder is inserted into the central table
- Main control system = the omniscient computer system that knows how many people are in the game, where they are in the series of rooms, and has control over speeding up/slowing down the game as it currently does at 5Wits adventure
SUMMARY:
Users walk up to the octagonal table, 8* smaller cylinders extend dim and fully fixed. There is a large, central cylinder slowly pulsing grey/white light. Over the intercom, users are instructed that the hyperdrive is down and that they need to fix the circuits of the smaller cylinders to help jump start and super-charge the hyperdrive. Our "hyperdrive" product will require users to rotate 4 cylindrical components that make up a smaller cylinder (1 smaller cylinder per side of the table) to align correctly. Once properly aligned, the cylindrical components will light up a certain color. There will be 8 smaller cylinders that users will interact with, one for each side of the octagonal central table about which users are situated. There is also a large, central cylinder that will glow a constant color (subject to testing, but probably grey) and have vertical lines pulsing a color that corresponds with the color of a smaller, fully aligned, cylinder. When the color in the central cylinder matches the color of a smaller cylinder, the user then needs to insert their smaller cylinder into a portal on their side of the octagonal table. When it's inserted, the main cylinder will glow a constant, horizontal, wide band (up to 8 in total, one for each cylinder). When all 8 smaller cylinders are inserted, the main central cylinder will have 8 horizontal bands glowing and will be “fully charged.” At this point, the users will be instructed that the hyperdrive has been restored thanks to their work and directed to the next activity.
*If there are fewer than 8 players, the game can be adjusted to only eject cylinders up to the number of players in the game
SLOW DOWN/SPEED UP DESIGNS:We also wanted to be sure to have a way to speed up or slow down the time required to play. For this, we have a couple ideas:
- The main control system will be able to first determine how many cylinders are ejected in the first place, so if there are less than 8 players, there will be matching numbers of cylinders waiting for the players once they enter the room.
- If the players are solving the puzzle too quickly the smaller cylinders could re-eject, after being properly aligned and inserted, to therefore be solved again. As an quick reset mechanism, there will be either 2 or 3 circuit/path connections (only 1 active at time) so when the cylinder re-eject in the same orientation as when they were inserted, a different circuit/path will now be the live connection the user needs to twist to find. (The system block diagram shown below is drawn for only 1 possibility.)
- A possible third way to speed up the process, though some more thought will need to go into the details of the code for this, is to “fake” a proper connection and therefore light up the smaller cylinder and allow the insertion and lock of it in the central table.
TWISTING DESIGN:
To “align” the segments of a smaller cylinder:
- The circuits need to be connected via a twisting mechanism, with little “clicks” to give a sense of measured distance between twisted components
- There’s a “sleeve” that has hidden lines which will illuminate differently (hence electronically reset) along the outside of the smaller cylinders, this will eliminate the need to have any physical reset mechanism
- There are drawn lines that show up on the outside, like shine through frosted plastic
- Once properly aligned, it will start glowing a uniform color around the rim of the two components that are properly aligned
INSERTING/EJECTING DESIGN:
Users can only insert the SC when it is properly aligned. They must also time it so that only when the corresponding color lights up in the central cylinder, the user's SC can be fully inserted into the central table (if properly aligned but inserted at the wrong time, that is, the central cylinder isn’t glowing the matching color, the SC can only be partially inserted). Then, when properly aligned and inserted at the right time, a locking mechanism deploys to keep it inserted and counteract the spring that is pushing the SC out.
The user must push against a spring that is acting on the SC therefore giving it a nice force to push against as the user inserts it. This also makes it so that the SC naturally wants to pop back out-- good for the reset mechanism. A simple servo stop that keeps a wall down to prevent insertion of the SC before all segments are aligned. Once all segments are aligned, a servo lifts up the wall and allow the user to insert the SC further in, but still not all the way, and because of the spring, there is a force pushing it back out. Then, when the user has properly aligned all the segments AND you are inserting it in a the right time, the second wall lifts up and you can insert it all the way in. To lock it in place, when it's inserted in all the way, there could be some mechanism/wall that drops down and holds into a notch made at the back of the SC thus preventing the spring pushing against the SC from pushing the SC back out.
SYSTEM BLOCK DIAGRAM AND CODE
The system block diagram pictured above and the pseudo code pictured below, are how the electronics of the hyperdrive will communicate with each other. While only one sensor is pictured above for simplicity’s sake, the actual device will have two or three sensors integrated. This is because our reset and method to prolong the game, require that the cylinder be ejected and then twisted to make another connection. (The sensors are the physical contact made between the the twisting parts. There will be two or three possibilities though only one will be live at a time for the user to solve, which would then light up the small cylinder and eventually be inserted into the central table.)
MICROCONTROLLER MAIN LOOP OUTLINE
//For a given cylinder..
Trigger cylinder solution switch ->
Change state of sensor set selection switch
Trigger reset ->
Enable the lock release
Trigger cylinder solution switch
//For the overall system...
Every light line cycle time ->
Determine the next light line color
Switch the current color to the next color
Disallow locking of the current color's cylinder
Allow locking of the next color's cylinder
For each successfully locked cylinder ->
Turn on a light ring
When all cylinders are locked ->
Perform reward behavior
Reset all cylinders
LIGHTING DESIGN
The choice for LED lighting was mainly determined by how many colors we wanted at most, that is, 8. After speaking with some folks who know the industry, we decided to go with an RGB LED strip that way we can use one strip and modify it to show 8 different colors. These strips will be used in the central cylinder to cue which smaller cylinder should be inserted into the central table, as well as used on the smaller cylinders. The power requirement is about 1A per strip which determined some other electrical components that my teammate, Clay, further looked into.
SCALE MODEL
Together with Steve, I helped determine the dimensions of the product in life size. From things such as diameter of the smaller cylinder to the dimensions of the central table, we tried to incorporate common sizes of human hands and human form factors into our dimensions. I then quickly sketched it up in SolidWorks to make sure we still agreed with the proportions. From that, Steve generated a very nice illustration of the aesthetics for the device as per our discussion and Jess and Austin CADed our critical modules.
