For our final project, we decided to create an interactive track for a vehicle that is controlled by colored cards. We attached a color sensor to the bottom of the car so when a card is placed before the vehicle, it will react according to the color of the card.

    First, we started off by constructing our car so it could properly detect colors placed in front of it, and detect the angles that it needs to turn by placing a gyro sensor underneath as well. We then agreed on the rules and purpose of the game so that we could have a better sense of how to program the EV3. We figured that our project would be more interesting if the audience had to control the vehicle with various cards rather than remote control because this allows the user to interact with the environment as well rather than standing in one place. Also, part of the challenge of getting the car from point A to point B is figuring out how the car responds to the different cards. The user has to be quick on their feet to identify the car’s different actions before it goes off track or into an obstacle, resulting in a loss in the game.

    Then we wrote the code to detect the colors of the cards that we are using and follow a specific command when these are detected, by using a case structure inside a while loop. This way the car can identify any of the colors at any given time and respond according to the commands such as turn right, turn left, move forward, and brake. Since our track is the black floor with obstacles , the robot is programmed to move forward at all times when it is on black and come to a stop when detecting white (meaning the user lost). The cards we use are meant to manipulate the way the car moves around the track, trying to dodge to obstacles in order to reach the finish line.

  

           

 

 

 

SURVEY/RESPONSES

1. Do you like the game?

Yes, pay attention the whole time, brain stimulant, directions are easy, video game alike

Yes, kind of hard but not too hard

Yes, liked the directions/controls and it moved forward on its own

Yes, it goes different ways

Yes, cars

Yes, how it moves

Yes, using cars ,

Yea, using lego figures as a wall, it’d be cool to make it stop turning when it comes to the color / more control

Yes, very challenging, nothing

Yes, the cards, did not like the goofing around

Yes, kind of challenging but not too easy

Yes, idk

 

1. What do you like?

2. What do you dislike?

2. Is the game hard? Give a rating between 1-10 (10 being the hardest).

7, 5, 8 , 1, 3, 6-7, 1-2, 5, 0 , 1, 5, 10

3. What would you change about the game?

More colors , different options, different cards for options, faster car, cards more options , nothing, nothing, writing on the cards with directions/functions, race with somebody else / hit a lego character to win, all the walls with only two entrances/ more challenging, no change

4. Do you like the design of the board? What about the design of the car?

   

Board more decorated , it was fine (liked both designs) , like the design of car and maze design of board, liked the designs , no changes to designs , no changes to designs, no changes, making the trail more difficult , no changes , no changes , no changes

 

  After testing out our prototype at the CEEO we received great feedback from our users. All of the users agreed that the design of the car and the platform was perfectly fine. They disagreed, however, on the difficulty of the game and additional options. For example, the game was more difficult for the younger users and much easier for the older kids. In order to solve this problem, we have agreed to create checkpoints throughout the track, that way the user can get to the checkpoint depending on their difficulty preference. The first checkpoint will be easier to achieve than the last, that way the user does not have to continue if they do not wish you to finish the challenge.

    The second most popular request was additional controls/ color cards. They users want the car to do more than turn when given a card, they want more functionality out of the car. We have decided to implement this into our final project to make the game a bit more challenging, but also very open-ended as to how many possible ways there are to achieve the finish line.

    Finally, as a team we realized that the car is slow and it requires patience for the user to manipulate the car into completing the game, so we agreed to add a multiplayer option to make the game more interesting. We are working on creating a different car but with the exact same functionalities. This way more users are able to play at the same time and makes the game more interesting for those who seek competition.