Projectinfo:

Keywords:
Tangible Augmented Reality, Real World Computer Gaming

Date/Period:
2004

Extra Credits:
Niel Vredeveldt – (3D Modelling)
Jolan Koks – (Music & Sound Design)(www.mbnt.nl)

Projectsite :
http://robotract.hku.nl

Video:

A short screencapture video showing Robotract from a player's perspective.

Quicktime Movie (7,2MB)
Windows Media (2,2MB)

Quick Project Listing:

Click on one of the projects from the list below to learn more about some of our other work.

- Swarm
- Wixel Cloud
- Wixel Play
- Wixels
- TouchMe
- Robotract
- Demor: location-based 3d audiogame
- Jalaani
- MoCap Performance

Robotract

Robotract can be described as a hybrid between a video and a board game. The game combines tangible interaction techniques with augmented reality in order to create an intuitive style of interaction. In Robotract the game space is transported from the standard screen space into our direct physical surroundings. This opens doors for collaborative gaming that is quite similar to the way people play board games together and contains similar social features.

Most present-day computer interfaces tend to create a separation between the physical world we live in and the digitally created virtual worlds of cyberspace that exist inside the computing devices we surround ourselves with. The primary goal of this project is to merge these worlds and create a seamless interface between digital information and the ordinary physical environment in which we are living and interacting. By placing virtual elements in the real world we can leverage the best of both worlds. People are able to play with virtual creatures and other objects that can be flexible, dynamic and have their own behaviours, while having fun together and interacting in a very natural and direct way.

To take part in the game, players sit or stand around a table, wearing a head mounted display (HMD) with a small video camera attached. Through their HMD's they can see the real world in real-time. On the table lies a gameboard and the players each have a large magnet. When the players look at the game board they see the virtual game world spatially mapped over reality. In this game area little clumsy robots roll through the environment, unaware of all the dangers that might end their robotic lives. It's up to the players to save these virtual robots by attracting them with their magnets and steering them away from the danger. They need to cooperate to save all the robots and get them to the next level.

For more information on this project, please visit the Robotract website.

Robotract - A Tangible Augmented Reality Game - @ HKU - EMMA (European Media Master of Arts) Exposition, September 16th, 2004.

In-game view from a players perspective whilst wearing the head mounted display.

The video-mixed head mounted display a player wears to see the virtual game elements on the real table.