The Concept
In the Zeus versus Poseidon game, players will need to hit the wall buttons to unlock their ammunition. In this case, it will be small balls that can be shot at the targets in a contained portion of the room.
The targets will be moving, as is shown in this video from the sketch model. For this concept refinement, I wanted to dive a little deeper into the construction of the tentacles to be used as targets. I did not foucs as much on the ball return system as that was covered in the previous assignment.
The Physical Implementation
These targets are going to need to be durable, so I would recommend making them out of lighter wood, or a denser foam. The tentacles will be about 3 feet tall, from the base of the floor or the target gallery which will start at about 2.5 feet off the ground giving the targets at a height around eye level. They can easily be made using a router or CNC becasue I kept the base 2D. The color will be a dark puple with a light purple highlight. I have seen pictures of the Kraken as both red and purple, but I thought purple would be a little easier to see depending on how dark the room is. On top of the tentacles should be small, pinkish suckers to add more detail to the tentacle. The pink should pop well against the darker purple color. Once again, these should be pretty easily to fabricate using a mill or hand sanding some foam.
At the top of the tentacle is a hollow space to attach the sensing device, which can easily be taken in and out by screwing off the faceplate to allow for maintenance. Behind the faceplate is a red target attached to a plate. Ideally this would be a more durable material to withstand the impact of the ball, and not so soft that it will absorb the impact of the ball without moving the inner plates. A material similar to the density of green foam should work nicely. This is mounted on a plate nested inside of a box, behind the face plate. Once a ball hits the target, it will send the target backwards, compressing the springs behind the plate. On the other side of the springs is another plate that has 4 shallow pockets to secure the springs, and this plate will help distribute the force to the pressure sensor behind it. The pressure sensor used is the Adafruit FSR 406. It can detect forces between .2N and up to 20 N with sensitivity. It can withstand up to 31kN based on it's area, so it should be more than durable enough for our needs. By slightly preloading the springs between the target and middle plate, we can ensure recoil of the target will not create seperation from the pressure sensor. This will make sure there is not double counting for the second impact the plate recoil would make, as well as minimize the impulses on the sensor surface. The back plate is bolted to the container, contraining the entire sytsem.
The Wave
To add a bit of style and a base to secure the target, the wave panel will be used. This can be attached to the floor fairly easily, and could have room for 2- 3 lugs to hold the motor to turn the tenacle, as shown on the back. They will also help hide the wires that would be required for the motor, as well as for the leads from the pressure sensors.
All Together
Putting it all together with just a single wave and tentacle helps get a feel for the scaling. The tentacle needs to be scaled down a bit, to allow for more targets. My keeping the waves small, it can help create the illusion that the tentacles are large. Other things to note about the room is that it is slightly slanted to the back right corner to collect the balls. The back and side walls will be made of a softer material to prevent the ball from bouncing back too much. Finally, there is a net that hangs above the targets to prevent balls from flying outward. It is shown as a set of lines for a clearer shot of what is inside. This also reduces the size of the window without imparing the view of the user to help protect them from bounce back as well. Not explored here, but the feedback mechanism I was hoping to use to indicate a hit was the sound of a screeching Kraken and a thunder rumble. Let me know if you would like to volunteer to record your best Kraken screech!
Remaining Questions
After this assignment, the largest thing that needs to be nailed down is the final decision on how we want users to interact with this part of the room. Should there be two slings? Should the ball return system softly project balls into the room once a button is pressed to encourage new users to use the sling as they grab the ball? It may even enhance their teamwork to have the throw the balls to eachother to get it to the sling. In addition to feedback about the target design, I would love to hear your input on what would be the most fun for the users and ensure teamwork!