Hi!
I am doing my PhD on tabletop interaction for children.
I designed and built a table using ps3eye (from Peau productions), and Reactivision software.

I am mainly interested in the use of toys for playing tabletop games.

Here it is a video of the game concepts and toys I am developing:

It is the classic asteroids game played with spaceships toys.

If anyone is working in similar issues or have ideas on how to physical improve tabletop interactions using toys, I will wellcome any kind of collaboration.

Thanks!

Hey javier this looks really cool, well done!
What happens when you press the button on the toys? does it light up an infrared led? or push something down to create a blob?

grmcom - 08 February 2010 12:26 PM

Hey javier this looks really cool, well done!

Thanks a lot for your comment

grmcom - 08 February 2010 12:26 PM

What happens when you press the button on the toys? does it light up an infrared led? or push something down to create a blob?

The Led was my first option, but the table has its own IR ilumination, so the leds in the toy were not powerfull enought to be seen by the camera (but this idea worked when I turned off the table ilumination, but this way the printed fiducial can not be seen).

so, in the video you are seing the second option, it is a block with a spring, that has a printed blob on the base. So, the blob can only be seen by the camera when you press down the block.

Are you working in something similar? as it seems you have been thinking a lot about this…

I am working now in other toys with similar mechanisms.

I’m not working on anything similiar at the moment, but I had been thinkng about doing something in the future!
If you dont mind i have a couple of hardware questions for you/
What camera are you using? and what wavelength of IR light?

that’s a very cool project, JAvier ! i reallly like this tangible gaming approach ! I would love to participate on this project . What program are you developing with ?

your blog is awesome, very inspiring

Hi Javier, thanks for sharing! It looks like its an awesome project and congrats! Please do let me know if there’s anything you think can be done as part of a collaborative effort to further enhance this, that is if you would like too

Keep up the good work Javier!!

At this moment I am using the PS3eye from PeauProductions:
http://peauproductions.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1_6_9&products_id=11

I am really happy with it, but I recently purchased a firefly MV 2.0, as I am building a bigger table. I am waiting to receive the lenses and IR filter. I will post very soon drawings and photos of the building process if you like.

I work with 850nm IR light wavelenght. I have this light:
http://www.tiendaproteccioncontraincendiosyseguridad.com/index.php?sec=buscar

But any security IR light that works on 850nm should work.
I attached a “bad quality” picture of the table (the camera is another, but I am using the PS3eye!)

Anything I can help you in you future plans, please, let me know

Thanks for your encouragement!

I am programing in C++ using Windows: SDL for 2D graphics and OpenScenegraph for 3D graphics. But this can be developed for any platform… even in flash. I use Reactivision for fiducial recognition.

I am in my PhD candidate period working in tangibles and children. My envision is to improve multitouch tabletops with tangible interaction by designing toys that children could use to interact with games and educative aplications.

So anyone that is working in similar idea and wants to share ideas, will be welcome. Expecially people researching in the educative aplications of tabletop and tangible aplications, as I need help in how give educative benefits to my game and toy designs.

I will post my new toys very soon.

Thanks a lot!

Very cool!! nice work

Javier, this is incredible. I’m not working on anything like this yet, but perhaps in the future.

I’m still not sure how the blocks work, could you please explain this better for me. And how do the “gun shots” know which direction to travel in?

Thanks!

It is based on blob detection.
The toys has a white circle drew on the base, and near the front, so reactivision can detect that there is a ship placed on the table. The buttom has a white circle on the base too, but this can be only seen by the camera when someone pushes the buttom.
The direction of the missile is calculated with the vector between the two blobs.

It is very easy and can be used in many table implementations

Very, very cool!