The cleaning tools are assigned to the right and left and based on whichever moves faster, the ball moves in that direction, as shown in the diagram. The resultant force is then where the ball travels, meaning that if both are moving at the same speed, the ball moves straight ahead.

In the prototype, the arrows that light up signify the forces acting on the ball. If the right arrow lights up, it means the right paddle is moving faster, and vice versa. If both light up, both forces are equal and the ball is moving straight.

Initially, longer wires were used for increased mobility and range of movement in the prototype, but it affected the resistance too much, resulting in inaccurate results.

The two accelerometers I had were different and needed different code to get the acceleration for each. I took the values from one axis, then made the values absolute, since direction did not matter. I then compared the two values, and whichever was higher would make the corresponding light light up, while if both were similar or almost similar, both lights would light up. I also made a counter, that resets after the light lights up, ensuring that a single 0 reading from a constant speed would not affect the light.

I made the prototype for the app using InVision, showing how the game would be set up, with instructions on how to play as well as a leader board. The results and scores are simulated, as well as entering the code to connect to another team, a timer just being used before the game’s ‘begin’ screen appears.

Click here to view the InVision Prototype!

Originally, our team came up with the idea of a pong game, that connected different household chores such as laundry, cooking, cleaning, and so on in a game that passed a ball between them, using a projector for the ball. Based on user feedback, concerns for safety in the kitchen led to restricting gameplay for cleaning. ‘Safety might be a factor to consider. I was a bit concerned when I watched the girl wave the knife around.’ This is especially since in an ideal world, the system would be able to sense the dirtiest areas, and the ball hitting those areas repeatedly would make cleaning effortless and fun.

Initially, the app did not have a ‘how to play’ screen, as well as the ‘leader board’ and ‘top scores’, which were also added after user feedback to promote competitiveness and incentivize users. ‘cool idea! I think adding some sort of score aspect would be cool, like a leaderboard to sort of encourage the users more.’ The sudden COVID19 situation and lockdown also meant that we no longer had access to the lap and projectors. We tried phone projectors as an alternative, but it only worked in pitch darkness, making it unsuitable for the game. It also meant that we had to develop different aspects of our concept, and so I decided to develop it for team gameplay.

Part of it, including another round of user testing, was conducted using a prototype made in Vuforia in Unity, since multiple users had also suggested that as an alternative. ‘You could consider AR to open up for multi-room play/inclusion.’, ‘I think it’s a fun thing to do when doing chores, but it might be very expensive to install this throughout a house? Maybe use AR/VR or something like that.’ That is what is shown in the Interim submissions linked below.

While initially it worked, as well as being able to sense multiple image targets for team gameplay, the camera was unable to allow full range of movement, since overly fast movements or rotation would cause the camera to stop tracking, especially since to fit in the full range of movement and multiple paddles they would have to be rather far from the camera. This made me change tactics, trying to find a different way that would still allow a smoother gameplay.

This then led to changing the concept lightly to resemble the sport of curling. It still allowed me to achieve the same goals of engaging team gameplay, as well as cleaning the house with an incentive. Players are still able to have fun and clean the house, while allowing freedom of movement.