Designing and prototyping networked collaborative play structures

Abstract

Much of children's play time has shifted from outdoor activities to human-screen interactions on smart devices. While the digital world offers many creative play outlets that would be impossible in the physical world, the physical world has a wealth of hands-on learning and cooperative play opportunities that should not be overlooked. Networked Playscapes is a project which merges electronics with physical play to re-imagine playgrounds in a way that appeals to 21st century children. There are many new forms these play structures could take; this thesis will focus on bringing one of these concepts to life. The concept for the play structure is one that no kid can easily resist: bubble wrap. A pair of large, reinflatable bubble wrap systems was designed and a proof-of-concept prototype was constructed. Each system consists of a series of "bubbles" that will pop when pressed. The systems will network over the internet so that popping a bubble in one location pops it in the other. This simple, playful interaction, completed from two geographically and culturally disparate locations, encourages collaboration and competition between both those interacting side by side and those interacting through telepresence.