Xtreme Odyssey - Entertainment and exercise platform

There is a great deal of interest from national space agencies to go to the Moon and Mars. ESA wants to go to the Moon and establish a village there. NASA wants to go to Mars. Astronauts and Cosmonauts from all over the world are already living aboard the ISS. What can they do in their free time? It can’t be all about reading books or game play on computers. Think of new sports or games that could take into account the low gravity (e.g. a space lacrosse game, extreme basketball). What about real or virtual experiences involving the Apollo 11 landing site on the Moon? Or following the paths of Sojourner, Spirit or Curiosity on Mars using a form of cross-country skiing? Think of new ways for to astronauts to use their free time. To present your results develop an app that makes use of virtual reality tools.

Xtreme Odyssey

With this project we intend to change the way in which the astronauts living on the space station ISS can enjoy and relax at their leisure time, having a multifunction device that pushes their leisure experiences to the next level, using an application to do physical exercises, play, and communicate with colleagues in another space station or with their loved ones on Earth.

DESCRIPTION

Our project solves the SPACE RECREATION challenge, with a new gaming and space applications experience, allowing astronauts to promote friendship, interacting with their colleagues in another space station, relaxing and enjoying playing games, supporting the requirements of physical training in a more effective and amusing way, plus allowing communicate and playing real time with their loved ones on Earth.

By using a kit that contains a 3D camera sensor, an electromyography sensor (EMG), an ultra short throw projector, speakers and microphone, we generate an interactive enviroment that include four applications, which can be controlled with gestures by hands:

• “Jump to the void”: A physical and precision game, in which the astronaut, taking advantage of the microgravity, have to thrust itself against a wall on which the device is projecting a circumference that is opened and closed cyclically. The player have to calculate the distance and travelling speed in order to touch the circle just when it reaches its minimum size. The exact time when the player touch the circle is sensed by the device.
• Xtreme Precission: A precisión game that is about to throw successively three every day use objects (sock buns, t-shirt buns, balls, etc.) perpendicularly against a wall and accomplish that they reach the wall (almost) simultaneously. The device will sense the time in which every object reach the wall, in order to determine if the goal was met.
• Xtreme Videogames (Single player and multi player). In this mode the astronauts can play a casual video game, single player or multi player on-line with another astronaut in another space station or with a person on Earth.
• Xtreme Exercises : A module that allows guided exercises from the screen. By recognizing the skeleton , it is possible to track the successful completion of the exercises and keep a record of performance.

Kit parts:

• Mini PC
• Ultra short throw projector
• 3D camera sensor
• EMG sensor
• Microphone
• Speakers

Project Information:

• Background: The idea comes from searching recreational applications that needs little space and equipment to be deployed, taking into account that the weight and volume occupied by the objects to be put into orbit or to be sent on a space trip should be minimized.
• Technology: The project uses existing technologies of ultra short throw projection and 3D depth camera sensor. The EMG sensor allows controlling the applications with gestures by hands at the distance from the projected wall. The 3D camera sensor is used to simulate a touch sensitive surface on the projected area.
• Prototype made: The concept is tested using a prototype implemented with a short throw projector and a 3D camera sensor Asus. The microgravity player movement in “Xtreme Circle” is simulated using a free running cart. For the final implementation it will be used an equipment integrating in the same case an ultra short throw LED projector and a 3D depth camera sensor, as the Sony Portable Short Throw Projector. For the test, it was programmed only the “Jump to the void” application described in previous paragraphs, pending for future releases the other three applications. The “Jump to the void” application was programmed under Unity enviroment.
• Advantages:

* It provides a portable and mobile touch screen in a compact and lightweight way, both appreciated advantages in spaceflights. The touch screen can be projected over any free flat surface. The touch screen can be used for other applications, besides entertainment applications described.

* Ecological in a direct way, because the LED projector power consumption is low, and in an indirect way, because as lighter is the equipment to be sent to space, as lower is the fuel consumption.

Videos:

- Asus Xtion + OpenNI

- OpenFrameworks

- Unity3D

- Myo armband + SDK

- Optoma DLP Projector