Human Pacman: a sensing-based mobile entertainment system with ubiquitous computing and tangible interaction

ABSTRACT

Human Pacman is an interactive ubiquitous and mobile entertainment system that is built upon position and perspective sensing via Global Positioning System and inertia sensors; and tangible human-computer interfacing with the use of Bluetooth and capacitive sensors. Although these sensing-based subsystems are weaved into the fabric of the game and are therefore translucent to players, they are nevertheless the technical enabling forces behind Human Pacman. The game strives to bring the computer gaming experience to a new level of emotional and sensory gratification by embedding the natural physical world ubiquitously and seamlessly with a fantasy virtual playground. We have progressed from the old days of 2D arcade Pacman on screens, with incremental development, to the popular 3D game console Pacman, and the recent mobile online Pacman. With our novel Human Pacman, we have a physical role-playing computer fantasy together with real human-social and mobile-gaming that emphasizes on collaboration and competition between players in a wide outdoor physical area that allows natural wide-area human-physical movements. Pacmen and Ghosts are now real human players in the real world experiencing mixed computer graphics fantasy-reality provided by using wearable computers that are equipped with GPS and inertia sensors for players' position and perspective tracking. Virtual cookies and actual tangible physical objects with Bluetooth devices and capacitive sensors are incorporated into the game play to provide novel experiences of seamless transitions between real and virtual worlds. In short, we believe Human Pacman is pioneering a new form of gaming that is based on sensing technology and anchored on physicality, mobility, social interaction, and ubiquitous computing.

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INDEX TERMS

Keywords:
computer entertainment, mobile entertainment, tangible interaction, ubiquitous computing