Inspiration
My team and I were inspired by events such as Escape rooms and laser tag.
What it does
The purpose of this project is to develop an engaging experience, which allows participants to solve a mystery in an interactive environment. This experience combines the benefits offered by both escape rooms and a video game. Similar to an escape room, participants are able to solve challenges in a collaborative manner. Like a video game, participants can interact with the environment and make decisions. This project is an interdisciplinary effort. Engineering principles were applied to create the technologies, which connect the participants with the story. Concepts of art were utilized to develop an engaging story.
To solve the mystery, participants may interact with characters, explore the environment, and examine objects. This experience is facilitated by a mobile application, QR codes, ,sensors and a hardware device. Prior to starting the experience, players must download a mobile application. This application serves as the platform to manage game activities. Participants may manage game points, review messages from characters, and either grant or deduct points from characters. Both players and characters will wear a vest with a QR code. This serves as the identifier for each member of the game. After participants or characters scan the QR code of a character or participant respectively, the member of the game may either grant or deduct points for this particular individual. Sensors will facilitate the connection between the location in the environment and the story. It may trigger a new development in the storyline or result in the participants’ gaining or loosing points. The hardware device assists participants’ with solbing the mystery, displays the current game point count, and ask for help.
How it works?
The team developed a prototype mobile application and hardware compoj=nent.
Below is the game description.
Title: The Case of the Missing Sleigh GPS
On December 24 the GPS of Santa’s sleigh has suddenly disappeared. It is up to you to find the GPS to ensure that Santa is able to deliver presents.
Tips to solve the mystery:
Explore the environment: Unlike other attractions, there is no guide or set path to follow.
Interact with game characters: Compared to other attractions, the game characters do not have a set script. They will reveal information, if you ask questions or make certain choices.
Choose carefully: Your choices in the game will affect your experience. The story will progress as you make dictions.
Review mobile application: Utilize the tools offered in the mobile application. It will convey updates from game characters and manage game points.
Use the hardware device: To solve the mystery, you will need to be resourceful and strategic. The hardware tool may provide clues to solve the mystery.
Our device can translate Braille characters and Morse code from any of the hints or clues they might find along the way
How we built it
Using Tinkercad and Arduino
Challenges we ran into
Initially, we wanted to create an app, but since our team consists of members with very little independent experience in app development, we weren't able to successfully start one. We decided to go down the hardware route instead, but once there, it was a little challenging to debounce the buttons in the Arduino code. We managed to do it for 1 button, the Morse code decoder, but we weren't able to successfully do it in time for the other 6 buttons of Braille. Because of this, the Morse code decoder works, but the Braille system is a little off and not properly tranlsate Braille because whenever a button is pressed once physically, the Arduino receives it as multiple presses, which causes a shift in translation.
Accomplishments that we're proud of
A complete and fully operating circuit that can translate and decode 2 different language systems
What we learned
We learned more about how Braille and Morse code works as well as how to debounce buttons in order to prevent the system from seeing excessive button presses
What's next for Illuminate Investigations
Correct the misregistration of button presses and have the Braille translator properly working
Log in or sign up for Devpost to join the conversation.