Balance Boards
We wanted to imitate the feel of balancing on a real skateboard. These balance boards utilized real skateboard trucks - a single truck with wheels at the center of the board to allow pivoting on the board side to side, as well as some freedom of movement forward and backward as the truck swayed. We felt that this was a more accurate representation of how a skateboarder feels while riding, as opposed to simple pivoting side to side. Constructed of hardwood plywood, these boards are made to last and take a heavy beating from users. The wheels of the trucks are clamped down with aluminum sheet metal over a wooden v-block to prevent the boards from moving vertically during play.
The boards interact with the gameplay by sending feedback of either how balanced the user is, or whether the user has completely gone off balance (tipped the board completely to one side). The axle of the skateboard truck is mounted to an aluminum custom coupler, which mates with a spider coupler to dispel translational force. The other side of spider coupler attaches to a potentiometer, which rotates with the axle. The potentiometer mount also allows for the potentiometer to move vertically, as the skateboard wheels compress slightly under heavy weight. (The potentiometers are mechanically delicate and cannot take any translational force.) The potentiometer sends an analog signal back to the microcontroller of the state of the board. Underneath both ends of the board, mechanical switches detect if the board goes completely off balance when triggered. Vibrational motors (created by removing half the blades of a fan and adding mass to the tips of the remaining blades) give the user scaled feedback when they start to go off balance.
Grip take along the top of the boards indicates where the users should place their feet and prevents them from sliding off the board when they lose balance. To make gameplay more fun and possible, foam under both sides of board helps the users balance. Elegant original vinyl decorations make the boards more visually exciting and enticing for players.
The boards interact with the gameplay by sending feedback of either how balanced the user is, or whether the user has completely gone off balance (tipped the board completely to one side). The axle of the skateboard truck is mounted to an aluminum custom coupler, which mates with a spider coupler to dispel translational force. The other side of spider coupler attaches to a potentiometer, which rotates with the axle. The potentiometer mount also allows for the potentiometer to move vertically, as the skateboard wheels compress slightly under heavy weight. (The potentiometers are mechanically delicate and cannot take any translational force.) The potentiometer sends an analog signal back to the microcontroller of the state of the board. Underneath both ends of the board, mechanical switches detect if the board goes completely off balance when triggered. Vibrational motors (created by removing half the blades of a fan and adding mass to the tips of the remaining blades) give the user scaled feedback when they start to go off balance.
Grip take along the top of the boards indicates where the users should place their feet and prevents them from sliding off the board when they lose balance. To make gameplay more fun and possible, foam under both sides of board helps the users balance. Elegant original vinyl decorations make the boards more visually exciting and enticing for players.