Hands-Free Chess

Hands-Free Chess

Inspiration

Technology, fun, and bringing friends together with a new way to play chess.

What it does

Hands-Free Chess allows you to play chess by automatically moving chess pieces across the board on command.

How we built it

Arduinos and motors were integrated with software and circuit boards to move an XY gantry coupled with a magnet. The magnet is below the chess board surface and directed to line up with a piece being moved or captured, putting the pieces in their respective places. The chess pieces have attractive metal on their bottom surfaces. The chess pieces were custom 3D printed.

Challenges we ran into

Debugging, circuitry, connections, locating (0,0) on the board and proper chess piece sizes for maneuverability.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

Integrating hardware together, writing a successful algorithm and creating a cool new way to play chess.

What we learned

How to play team members strengths to get a project done quickly and effectively.

What's next for Hands-Free Chess

Accessible over the internet, making moves via text/internet, and for two boards to be connected and replicate physical chess piece movements. Voice recognition could also be incorporated to move pieces. This approach to chess could bring people together who are in different locations who would otherwise not have this kind of social and entertaining experience.