Process

Based on our community and inspiration gathered from precedents, we generated some ideas that could be implemented in the playground such as a talking snowman, a swing that encourages sharing, and a responsive hopscotch floor.

We decided to expand on the hopscotch idea by creating an interactive and responsive floor. We settled on the use of lights as our form of interaction and response. By using FSRs, a neopixel light strip, and neopixel ring, we created a track that lights up when stepped on.

We encountered some challenges in scaling the design to a complete track as we could not use more than 5 FSR sensors. Thus, we decided to create a path with 5 FSR sensors that people can interact with. Additionally, we created a simulation of what it would look like when 3, 6, and 10 or more kids were playing on the track. Once 10 or more kids are playing, the track creates a light show in response to signal its excitement.

We also used a servo and separate particle device that connect to the playground track and respond as more children interact with the track. This particle and servo were used to create an indicator of how many kids are playing on the track.