What was the game/interaction?
We designed an interactive game using ReacTIVision. Our aim was to design a game that would be engaging for people to play but would also demonstrate the possibilities of this technology. The outcome was a toy that used a multi-touch surface allowing you to mix and match the body parts of all the pilot year students to make funny characters!
How does it work?
To create our game we used an open source computer vision software called ReacTIVision which is an excellent tool for prototyping multi-touch surfaces. This software allows you to track fiducials (barcode-like-symbols) which can be attached to physical objects and used to interact and control what is happening on the table.
There were two main parts involved in making the game. The physical set up of the table and the software that was programmed in Adobe Flash. The table was set up with a projector below it, aimed at a mirror. The mirror then reflects the projection up to the table’s surface and displays the program running on the computer screen. Below the table there is also a dv camera facing directly up. By connecting the camera to the computer, it detects the fiducials and takes care of the motion tracking.
What did the prototype achieve?
Our prototype allowed us to work collaboratively as a large group, playing on our natural strengths to build a multi-touch table. By doing so we created a game that proved to be a lot of fun and challenged people to find the funniest combinations of the pilot year students!
Having learned how to use the reacTIVision software and build the table, we now have an excellent platform to build on for projects in the future.
