Team 5 - Donkey Kong Hat Controller

Controller Description

    The conceptual model for our controller drew inspiration from the hat item that can be found in the game Donkey Kong (1981). In the game, this item served to provide the player extra points to increase their score

    There are two types of input that the controller accepts: Movement from the two ultrasonic range sensors on the sides of the hat, and jumping from the circuit playground's accelerometer. Placing your hands in front of the ultrasonic sensors will move your character in a certain direction, moving your hand closer and farther from the sensor will also influence the character's direction.

    Though it may seem rather unorthodox, the signifiers for the controller are connected to its relation to the game. In order to get the character to move, a player must frantically move their hands up and down, similar to how Donkey Kong moves at the top in order to navigate their way up the tower. Additionally, the player must physically jump like the player character in order to jump over barrels

    These aspects of the controller are able to give the player a unique experience when it comes to controlling a game. Few games see the player control a character without holding something in their hands, and this controller asks them to control a game by (quite literally) using their head.

Question for peer review

How can the movement controls, based on hand distance from the sensors, be improved to make the experience feel more natural and easy for players to use?

Roles

Kel worked on the base code and tested its functionality, ensuring the sensors and controls were working properly. They also fixed any errors and handled the wiring to connect all the sensors. Additionally, Kel recorded and edited the video and provided the voiceover.

Thu contributed by building on Kel’s code and making modifications to accommodate design changes. She wrote the project descriptions, and acted as the demonstrator in the video. She also crafted the hat, including cutting holes and using tape and a glue gun to modify it for caging.

Controller Photo

Controller Schematic

Controller Code

#include <Adafruit_CircuitPlayground.h>

#include <Keyboard.h>

// Define ultrasonic sensor pins for directions and constants

const int trigPinLR = 6; // Trigger pin for left/right movement

const int echoPinLR = 12;  // Echo pin for left/right movement

const int trigPinFB = 9;  // Trigger pin for forward/backward movement

const int echoPinFB = 3; // Echo pin for forward/backward movement            

const int distanceCloseThreshold = 15;    // Distance threshold for closer threshold

const int distanceFartherThreshold = 25;  // Distance threshold for further threshold

const int distanceMaxThreshold = 38; //Maximum distance threshold we want the range sensors to detect

const int shakeThresh = 15;            // Threshold for detecting a shake to jump      

void setup() {

  // set up sensors + microphone

  Serial.begin (9600);

  CircuitPlayground.begin();

  //  Initialize trigger and echo pins as output and input, respectively

 // Initialize trigger and echo pins

  pinMode(trigPinLR, OUTPUT);

  pinMode(echoPinLR, INPUT);

  pinMode(trigPinFB, OUTPUT);

  pinMode(echoPinFB, INPUT);

  pinMode(CPLAY_SLIDESWITCHPIN, INPUT_PULLUP);

}

void loop() {

  if (digitalRead(CPLAY_SLIDESWITCHPIN)) {

    // Measure distances from objects

    long distanceLR = echolocate(trigPinLR, echoPinLR); // For left/right

    long distanceFB = echolocate(trigPinFB, echoPinFB); // For forward/backward

    Serial.print(distanceLR);

    Serial.print("\t");

    Serial.println(distanceFB);

    //Shake detect for jumping//

    float shake = abs(CircuitPlayground.motionX()) +

                  abs(CircuitPlayground.motionY()) +

                  abs(CircuitPlayground.motionZ());

    if(shake > shakeThresh) {

       Keyboard.press(0x20); //press space to jump

      delay(100);            // Short delay to debounce

      Keyboard.release(0x20); // Release key

    }

   

  // Movement logic for up/down based on distance

    if (distanceFB <= distanceCloseThreshold) {

      Keyboard.press(KEY_UP_ARROW); // Press "up" when hand is closer

    } else if (distanceFB > distanceFartherThreshold) {

      Keyboard.press(KEY_DOWN_ARROW); // Press "down" when hand is further away

    }

    // Release arrow keys only if no movement is detected in either sensor

    if (distanceLR <= distanceCloseThreshold) {

      Keyboard.press(KEY_RIGHT_ARROW); // Press "right" when hand is closer

    } else if (distanceLR > distanceFartherThreshold) {

      Keyboard.press(KEY_LEFT_ARROW); // Press "left" when hand is further away

    }

    delay(100); // Add a short delay to debounce key presses

    Keyboard.releaseAll();

  }

}

long echolocate(int trigPin, int echoPin){

  //Define function-specific variables

  long distance, duration;

  digitalWrite(trigPin, LOW);

  delayMicroseconds(2);

  digitalWrite(trigPin, HIGH);

  delayMicroseconds(10);

  digitalWrite(trigPin, LOW);

  duration = pulseIn(echoPin, HIGH); // Measure echo return time

 // Determine the distance from the object (in centimeters, then return that value)

  distance = (duration / 2) / 29.1; // Distance in cm

  return distance;

}

Controller Demonstration

Youtube Link