The Hardware
AR Markers
We used Vuforia within the Unity Engine to recognize Augmented Reality (AR) Markers that spawn 3D models with which the player can interact. We decided to use AR Markers to anchor the gameplay to a single area so caregivers could choose their own points of interest in the real world while prioritizing the player's safety.
The Academy of Art School of Industrial Design teamed up with us to develop adaptive devices for Adventure Bay, keeping in mind the range of exercises children with Cerebral Palsy need in physical therapy. Yang, our industrial design student, created two devices to work with our game, one of which was a tie-able string device at the base of the AR Markers that could be placed in a variety of angles. This device gave caregivers the freedom to place markers in various locations where they could still be seen by the tablet's camera. We also sourced a sturdy, flexible tablet holder, giving careful consideration to the variety of power chairs and wheel chairs that children with cerebral palsy may use. Finally, we developed a device designed to securely attach the game's controller to a smartphone's accelerometer.
Tablet Holder
The tablet holder is a generic, commercially available piece of hardware, given our intention to keep costs low with simple to find hardware whenever possible.
Mobile Glove
In the mini game Shark Drop, the player turns their wrist to control the aim of a pirate ship's cannon, prompting the phone's accelerometer to communicate the rotational value of the player's wrist. This complex hand motion required a device designed to secure a mobile phone on top of the player's hand. For this purpose, Yang designed a glove with a hand-strap that attached with Velcro to a separate phone case. This mobile glove allowed the player to change the orientation of the phone and also enabled players to use various mobile phones of differing sizes.
Behind the scenes look at the hardware design process
Hardware Ideation
