Physical Computing/Robotics
This section showcases my physical computing projects, where I use Arduino UNO and ESP circuit boards and code in C++ and C#. You may think of the work in this section as robotics, where physical components are set up and wired to move and be stimulated by sensors based on code written.
Physical Computing: Doomsday Arcade Machine [2:26]
Our team of 6, built a virtual world in Unreal Engline of a lush nature environment. My team member coded it such that if liquid is sprayed on the water sensor, rain will fall in the virtual world; if you blow into the microphone, windstorms will appear in the virtual world; if the light sensor is exposed to light, the sun will enter and brighten the virtual world, otherwise it is night time again; last but not least, a doomsday button takes the virtual world to an apocalypse, where rainstorms flood the land, fires flare up, the tornadoes destroy and the birds die.​
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This is physical computing coded in Unreal Engine and Max8. I did much of the wiring for the physical computing and helped with the debugging in Max8. I built the Arcade machine that contains all the sensors and the doomsday button on an Arduino UNO motherboard. I also animated the hand, that stands in the foreground, which closes at the end of the doomsday scene (videographer did not capture the end). ​
The Doomsday Arcade machine
Physical Computing: AQUA Game –underwater shark game
This game was developed by us, a team of 4, which can be downloaded and played on a computer, and includes a custom- built tilt controller or using a smart phone as a controller.​
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In this game the player is a shark who gets bigger when eating small fish and jellyfish, and when it is attacked by other larger fish, mines, pollution or killer whales, it loses health. The is a linear game, the main objective is to defeat the final boss, a giant fish lurking at the bottom of the ocean. Whether you win or lose, the game ends, and you can play again.
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I was active in the brainstorming, co-ordination, and researching sharks’ habits, movement and diet, etc. I built the whole tilt controller (physically put it together, with 3D printing components, wiring, etc) and coded it for the game (C++, C#). I also coded some enemy movements, mainly for the mines, whales, boats, pufferfish and jellyfish and some tweaks to the player. I made the promotion video for the game and participated at the York University interAccess multi-day event to demonstrate the game. Below is a Demo of the game.
Tilt Controller
Physical Computing: Diorama [0:34]
​The windmill fan moves when it senses heat (in the video, this is when my hand touches the sensor), and the traffic light changes to green when light is blocked, otherwise it’s red. The windmill moves on a motor and the traffic light uses a 180-degree motor. I coded this in Arduino and the mother board is Arduino UNO.
Physical Computing: Glow in the dark windmill [0:54]
​Made a windmill, that lights up when it senses darkness. The potentiometer in the video allows me to speed up or slow down the windmill’s propellers. I did this with physical computing, by setting up the circuit and physical components and coded the responses in Arduino and used the Arduino UNO.​
Physical Computing: Demonstrating using ESP to send a signal via the internet to internet/ Shift r.io [0:39]
This is a demonstration that I can use ESP (event stream processing) to send signals via the internet via shiftr.io, with hard wired circuits. The ESP is powered by a phone charger, and not connected to the laptop, which is just used as a monitor to show the signals sent. I can also do this with an Arduino UNO, by just sending a signal to Max8 first and then to ShiftR. The code to connect to Max8 or ShiftR and Shiftr.io website is not mine.