"Chuan"
Tags: Alternative Controller Culture in Design
Date: Oct. 2024 - In Progress
My Role: Lead Designer and Developer.
Chuan (bracelet) is a cultural alternative controller design project. The project aims to promote the Chinese culture of the “盘串” (playing walnut bracelet) for stress-relieving into cyberlizing.
"盘串" (pán chuàn), or playing bracelet in English, is a traditional Chinese cultural activity that offers a serene and relaxing experience. Simple yet captivating, it plays by handling and rotating intricately crafted bead bracelets with the hands. Beyond providing a moment of tranquility amidst a modern busy life, this practice cultivates focus.
Alternative Controller Culture in Design
It embodies profound cultural and artistic significance, allowing enthusiasts to appreciate the power of culture and art through the process. Our project tries to turn it cyberlized through the alternative controller and user interface development.
CHUAN
The microcontroller used in the controller is the XIAO nRF52840 Sense. It features a Nordic nRF52840 microcontroller unit, Bluetooth 5.0, a digital microphone, and an onboard 6-axis Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU). The microcontroller is soldered to a Lilypad Coin Cell Battery Holder, which powers the board. A 3D-printed perforated ball-shaped container was created to secure the microcontroller to the bracelet controller. We used a Python script to connect to the microcontroller via Bluetooth communication, receiving IMU data for state classification. Machine learning was utilized to inform the thresholds for determining movement states in real-time.
CHUAN 
Currently, the system can classify three states: idling, gentle movement, and repetitive movement. These states were sent to the Unity game through a local TCP network and mapped to the player's movements in a custom game created in Unity. In Unity, a proof-of-concept game was developed using Chinese-style Shan Shui art assets. The player sits in a boat that floats on a river and follows a guided path. When the idling state is triggered, the boat remains stationary; when the gentle movement state is activated, the boat merrily flows along the river; and when repetitive movement is detected, an audio effect is triggered in the game.
Video