Integrating smells in video games
We are investigating low-cost and effective ways of generating and
using smells in video games. Smells can help immerse players into the
game, and complement other human senses. Here is an example of one
smell interface we are developing. The Arduino microcontroller is
controlling a fan used for diffusing and dissipating the generated
smell. The smells are generated using small commercial sprays.
Simulating wind in a racing game
This is a recent research project on how to simulate wind in a driving
simulator using a computer-controlled fan. A gaming student (Philip
Schoch) collaborated in the project by writing a thesis about it. We
are using an Arduino microcontroller for controlling the fan speed.
Using the Kinect sensor as 3D scanner
We have been experimenting with the Kinect sensor to
be used as a 3D scanner. We have used a commercial software called
Scenect (http://www.faro.com/scenect) to acquire 3D scenes and the open
source program Meshlab (http://meshlab.sourceforge.net/) to create and
export 3D meshes created from the points cloud generated by Scenect. We
have used this 3D scanner system in the Computer Graphics and Video
Game Design courses.
