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Track that lies underneath the chess board to control the movement of the magnet.
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Chess board from above
Inspiration
The idea for this piece was taken from Harry Potter. We wanted to turn this fantasy into reality by recreating Wizard's Chess, a hands-free approach to playing chess.
What it does
Wizard's Chess is a way to play chess using a computer and magnets. Once the user types in the desired move into a computer, Wizard's Chess will respond by moving a magnetized chess piece using a motor.
How we built it
We built this device using powerful magnets underneath each 3D-printed chess piece and a single nail attached to a motorized arm. This arm can move up and down, thereby having control over which chess pieces it controls. The magnets are powerful enough to attract the nail and mirror its motion underneath the chess board. This motorized arm is directed towards the correct location via a track that can move freely in two dimensions. The track is controlled by motors as well as input from a computer, which specifies how much distance to move and at what time.
Challenges we ran into
We ran into challenges in the track because of the many degrees of freedom of each individual part. Because Kinex parts inherently have flexibility, we found it difficult to move the track in a straight line without it rotating, and also fitting the motor to the incompatible wheels. We also originally used a solenoid instead of a motorized arm to control the movement of the nail. However, the solenoid could not be made powerful enough with the limitation of the 5V Arduino.
Accomplishments that we're proud of
We're most proud of creating our own materials when commercial materials failed us. We created some of our own wheels creatively using laser cut parts and rubber bands, as well as a solenoid when the commercial one was taken. We're also proud of our movable chess pieces. In addition to our technical accomplishments, we're proud of recreating fantasy into a reality.
What we learned
We learned a whole lot about using bread boards and Arduino to time the movement of the track, as well as way to problem solve around mechanical issues.
What's next for Wizard's Chess
Next for Wizard's Chess is speech-to-text input which will make our device truly hands-free.
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