Pachinko

- Interactive Pinball Room

Team member:

Tony Sheng Kai TANG

Tsung-Hsien Wang

Yuchang Hu

Abstract—

Pachinko is a play room for children to explore reactions and cooperation. Through manipulating flipping slabs, such as modifying degrees and directions, children can direct the course of the “ball” towards their desired destination. Moreover, to play this game well, children also need to learn how to predict the ball’s path and therefore they can react properly. During a game, single or multiple players are both eligible. When players are more than one, this game room becomes a good exercise for them to learn how to collaborate. Every time when one game is over, typically as the ball stop, the light and the background music of the room will be changed according to the status of the game. In other words, children can control the room status by means of combating with this game.

To achieve this objective, part of this room is designed as the playground of this game, 3D Pachinko. This specific area is equipped with several interactive components, including flipping slabs, ramps, balls and some obstacles (Figure 1). Main input devices in the control area are IR sensors with laser beam indications, as shown in Figure 2. Through hand movements, children can tilt or rotate the slabs in the 3D Pachinko and move balls towards their desired locations and thus control the environment status.

Figure 1. 3D Pachinko

Figure 2. Control device

Figure 3. System state flowchart