Everyday, people who take the bus sit and wait for their promised transportation to arrive.  There are no accommodations at the bus stops that make waiting more interesting.  We have solved this problem by creating a simple game console-type device.  This device attaches to a sign post, and allows the individuals waiting to have fun.  The games were designed to be compact and easy to learn.  This new entertainment will greatly improve the experience of the common day bus-taker and, hopefully, help convince more people to take the bus.

    At the beginning of our project, we set out to create a few addictive games that would occupy people waiting for the bus.  When we visited a bus stop, we did not see anything that filled that need.  We solved this issue by creating games that are engaging, addictive, and could even bring out a person’s competitive side.  Our console has two games: Memory and The Button Game.  Memory is a game where the person is shown a pattern of lights, and the person then has to recreate the pattern by pressing the buttons that correspond to the color.  Every round, another color is added to the sequence.  The point of the game is to follow the pattern for as long as you can; when you press a button that was not in the pattern, you lose.  The Button Game is also very easy to learn.  The goal of this game is to tap the button as many times as you can within a thirty-second time period.  After thirty seconds is over, your score appears on the screen.  Our original plan for both of these games was to have a synchronized scoreboard and to install consoles across the city, at different bus stops.  In this way, people would compete to have the best bus stop score.  The scoreboard would show the stop where the highest score was achieved.  This would make it a fun competition.  We originally intended the games to synchronize with the bus timing; for example, the button game would start thirty seconds before the bus came.  We did not have enough time for this, though.   The gaming console has a simple design.  It is as small as possible, but is still able to incorporate a screen and four buttons.  This means that it does not take up a lot of room on the sidewalk, and people will easily be able to play the games without being worried about blocking pedestrian traffic.  In our development process, we first brainstormed fun games and then went on to prototyping.  We went through a few different iterations for both the button box, screen, and actual buttons before finding the best ones.  We faced many technical and design challenges over the course of this build.  Our biggest problem was time; we did not have enough time to program or design all of the things we originally wanted.  Although we would make improvements if we could continue beyond these two weeks, we now we have a working prototype that could go out on the street.

Our first step was to figure out what games we wanted to have in the system.  We started out with just the Button Game, but quickly incorporated the Memory Game, and a “Whackamole”-type game.  We quickly realized that we did not have enough time for the whackamole game, though, so we decided to focus on the first two games.  After that, we started designing the first iteration of our button box and supports.  We 3D-modeled what we had in mind for the button box.  It was unique in shape, which we thought would attract people.  The buttons were evenly spaced so the user can comfortably push them with two hands.  We also knew that we would only need four buttons, and that they could be used for both games.  Next, we built supports to attach the system to the sign post.  The supports utilized the pre-existing holes on the post.  We thought that we would attach the button box to the supports using either screws or nails.  We also quickly modeled a button and had it 3D-printed.  With our first button, we did not think about mounting, we were just focusing on the actual button design.

In our next iteration, we changed the supports, the box, and the buttons.  For the supports, we added notches that corresponded to holes we made in our button box.  This way, the bond would be a lot more secure.  We also changed some dimensions on the supports.  We made one of them wider, so that it would still be stable even though most of it was not directly against the post.  Since one side of the post is open, we had to bridge the gap to make it sturdy.  After some feedback, we also redesigned the button box.  We realized that the original design had a lot of “pointy” edges that were not worth the risk.  It also stuck out more that four inches on both sides of the post; which is not allowed.  Therefore, we made the box more compact and flat.  The box no longer has pointed edges, and the buttons are closer together.  We also redesigned the button.  We made a casing around the entire button that would serve dual purposes:  it would support the visible portion of the button and also house all of our electronics and springs.  The casing fits over the hole in the case and holds the button in place.  We made slots for an electronic button so that when the visible portion was pushed down, it would hit the real button and record the data.  We also left space for springs so the button would go back to its original position.  A hole was cut in the button to allow for an LED.  The screen mounting was also added around this time.  We had talked a lot about different screens, but finally decided on an LED dot matrix.  We attached it using the same type of supports that we used for the button box.  We made a backing for the screen, and we were able to mount it on the post.

In our third iteration, we made several subtle, but necessary, changes.  With the button box, we made notches on the side to improve its stability.  The spacing between the buttons was changed, to allow our new buttons to fit.  We also decided to fully encase the screen; to do this, we made a box around it with a clear acrylic piece that fit over the LEDs.  The actual buttons were tweaked a little, too.  We cut out the top so we could put a piece of acrylic over it, so that people could see the LED.  We also made the frame around the button a little smaller, and made a bigger slot for the electronic button.

In our final iteration, we made a very small, but useful change.  We put the button box on an angle, so that it would be more comfortable for the user.  This required us to angle the supports.  Although we acknowledge that we were not able to complete all of our original design goal, we believe that our finished product will be a great addition bus stops around the city.