Concept Implementation

These are a mix of adjectives that define the overall user experience with the nuclear engine and fuel rods. While interaction in video games is largely visual, the concept here is highly multisensory. The user experience is a function of this multisensory interaction with the system. Following is the descrition of visuals, haptics and sounds that the system combines to give a wholesome experience.

The engine room is sparingly lit, and most light is coming from a central Nuclear Engine and a side Charging Panel. A part of the engine and panel have been prototyped to give a partial sense of the visual environment, as seen in the overview video. The complete system would have multiple such sources of light on the engine and charging panel. The storyboard gives a complete sense of visuals.

The fuel rod has strong visual effects. The shape and dimensions are realistic and awe-inspiring for a participant of any age. The chambers of liquid fuel inside emit a fluoroscent blue in two different modes. The first mode (full bright) indicates a fully charged rod while the second (breathing dull) indicates a dying used rod.

The visual effects give users a wholesome feedback of their progress through the game. Other than just indicating the status of the fuel rods, lights are used to guide participants through the gameplay and give consistent feedback for their progress through the task. The engine panel switches between two modes, from an inactive blinking red to a electric circuit when active, as seen in the overview video. The storyboard describes other lights on the engine that indicate the status and successful completition.

The fuel rod weighs approximately 2 kgs (4.5 lbs). Its size is relatable to the weight. The handle and structure are finished and polished surfaces that give a sense of good quality as it is held in one's hand. The liquid inside has moving space and this makes the fuel rod slightly unstable, which is a desirable effect to make it look alive and active.

The following video is in a lighted environment and has no additional sound effects or visual modifications. The haptic effects of the system are obvious from it.

The coupling between the fuel rod and the receptacle in the engine panel is designed to deliver a unique haptic feedback to the participants while removing or reinserting the rods. A combination of mechanical and magnetic forces in the coupling are responsible. Foam inside receptacles creates an unusual force signature that is unique and very sci-fi. The sound, as in the videos, is also a result of that. Neodymium magnets on the panel and in the fuel rod create the final "thud" sound, giving a sense of completition. See the Construction Page for design details.

Sound effects is an important part of the whole user experience, and a good sound system completes the sense of being within the system. There are two types of sounds in this system. First, produced electrically through a speaker system and second, generated mechanically by the fuel rod-receptacle coupling.

The artificially created sounds give a eerie background to the environment and also give feedback on progress. They are triggered by the central control system that senses the position of all fuel rods through physical brush contacts. See the Construction Page for a description of the contacts.

The naturally created sounds are very important to the system, as they complete the perceived "realness" and credibility of the props. The moving liquid inside the fuel rod creates gurgling sounds and the coupling between the fuel rod and the receptactles create a unique swoosh sound when inserting or removing and a thud sound when completed