Foot-operated game controller : one device for pure fun and stroke rehab

  The "Double twister" is a well-known device for fitness.

 

 

 But this device can be used  also during   stroke recovery therapy.

 

 Video clip  one can  find here : https://www.youtube.com/shorts/lkPE42Ibdx8?feature=share 

In both cases  we see the same  problem: such exercises are monotonous and boring.

For 4 years I have been trying to add some fun to " double twiser".

First  I converted this  pure hardware device into a game controller by adding sensors and Arduino microcontroller.

I tried to use it  with a  standard  dance arcade game .

 But it was really hard to guess how to move feet to follow the  arrow's flow.

 So I tried to make my own game initially based on twist motion. 

But real rythm game was very hard to make, because I had no idea how to convert audio file into sequence of feet positions linked with time stamps.

For years passed before I have found  simple solution. Now there are  several  free AI  services online . AI helped me to code my  game and convert mp3  files into *.json file with feet motion records linked with time stamps.    

Example of *.json looks like this 

 

 Video below shows my curent version with well-known song .

I think   young generation can use such "Double twister" for pure fun and old generation - for balance improving and  during stroke recovery if it happened.

What do you think about my project ?   

#dancegame, #DDR, #gymdisc,#indiegame, #Arduino, #prettywoman, #strokerehab, #AltCtrl, #makers,#seatedtaichi,#seateddance, #seateddancing, #seatedexercise
 

 

Let us reimagine tabletop "Hook &Ring" game in a mobile style

 Part 1.

 Tabletop "Hook &Ring" game is one of the most popular pub  "drink"games. 

I have   an idea to build a skill-based  party game  for young generation .

Modern teenagers prefer mobile games. 

So , the main task is to find modern equivalent to  vintage game mechanic .

Mobile games use two basic  types of finger motion: "tap" and "swipe".  

I think these two motions are enough to  reimagine old game.

   Here is the very first test of my game. The video  was filmed during a lunch break in the cafetria of the "Coca-Cola" plant in  Minsk.

Game took  about 30 second from start to finish.  

One can download a test version of this game here : https://amkotau.itch.io/swipe-duel 

It will be nice to receive any feedback from you! 

  
 

Fidget spinner golf with Telegram bot

 This is the very first time I used AI for big project that includes  alt.ctrl game controller, ESP32 WiFi  module, Telegram bot and remote game server ( Render.com). I used free AI "Deepseek" . It wrotes me nearly 2000 lines of code for server program.

ESP32 plays  two roles in my game.

First I asked ask Telegram bot to start a new game with unique name and me as a player.

  

  

Than I loaded the game data to ESP32 acting as an access point .

  

 

After  being programmed, ESP32 acts as a game controller  for remote server. Game itself is very simple in idea. You have to move from  the first "virtual" hole to the last 18th one use minimal number of spinner rotation cycles. Attached video shows the last spinner cycle of this game. 

 

AI helps me to reimagine core ideas of alt.ctrl games

 

Living in Belarus, I know that due to financial, political, and physical barriers, I'll never make it to SF for alt.ctrl.GDC. Instead of getting upset about it, I've started thinking about how to help fellow alt.ctrl game enthusiasts like me find like-minded people worldwide, play  games online, and—who knows?—maybe even make a little money from it.

Just a couple of years ago, this was simply impossible. Now, thanks to AI, "the ice has broken"! Imagine a DIY alt.ctrl game controller that connects to the internet via your home WiFi router, links up with a Telegram bot, and joins online multiplayer games with other homemade game fans through a  remote game server. This isn't just an abstract idea! Right now, I already have the ESP32 controller code, a Telegram bot, and a working server for a one-dimensional golf game. In a couple of weeks, I'll assemble the controller into a case, and we can start testing it out.

How to make 18 holes during boring online meeting you have no chance to ignore

 The most boring  part of office life is an endless chain of  online meetings you have no chance to ignore. What if it will be possible to play fidget game in a way that nobody will   notice? 

I have invented and prototyped several golf-themed   games that use classic fidget spinner  for game control.  

Now I have been trying to adopt my tactile and audio game to office conditions.

Generally, it is possible to use fidget toys  during the working hours if they are compact and silent. 

I make my game silent with Bluetooth earphones, ESP32 module  has special library for this case. 

With wired earphone in one ear  you will follow the online meeting and   bluetoogth earphone in your second ear will be for game control.  

To keep price low ,the best way is to power this toy from 5V USB port .

 My painting skills are poor but AI helped me a lot. Here is  a rendering of my toy at the office desktop. 

 

Would you like to have such toy/game  at you desk ?   

#golf, #golfthemed, fidgettoy, #fidgetspinner, #desktoy,#deskgame

 

 

 
  

Innovative Spinner Tabletop Game Using Smartphones: Insights and Unexpected Effects

 I have developed a  two-player electronic tabletop game based on hand spinners and rotation counting. Each round, players receive a reference number representing target spinner rotations and strive to get as close as possible by making four spins. Scoring follows a bocce-like system focused on precision.

 

Initially, the game featured built-in displays, but to reduce costs, I came up with the idea to use players’ smartphones instead. The game’s microcontroller wirelessly transmits game data  to up to eight nearby phones simultaneously.

At the left part of the picture below one can see the working prototype.  At the right side I put the  rendering as I see it in my dreams. 
 

 

  

Unexpectedly, this unconventional use of smartphones brought positive side effects. Instead of causing digital isolation, the phones became channels for shared attention and collective engagement for both players and spectators. Everyone was “in the same flow,” not distracted by social media but focused on the game together.

This created a “public gaze without judgment”: players make moves within a friendly audience that supports rather than competes. Social pressure diminishes, forming a safe “social field” akin to mindfulness groups and therapeutic practices.

The game rhythm—concentrated spin initiation followed by relaxed observation of spinner deceleration—activates brain regions responsible for focused attention and impulse control, while calming the nervous system. Repeating this cycle four times builds a rhythm comparable to breathing exercises, helping reduce anxiety.

Smartphones thus cease to be stressors or sources of addiction, becoming neutral elements of a shared ritual that eliminates guilt and competition for attention.

Therefore, this game is more than entertainment — it fosters a healthy digital coexistence micro-environment for groups of up to eight. It is especially well-suited for socially anxious people, introverts, and those overwhelmed by digital overload.

Combining gaming innovation with mindfulness principles, the project offers promising potential for psychogeriatric health and anxiety prevention in today’s fast-paced world.

#FOMO, #mindfulness, #nomophobia 

 

Electronic game for competitive socialising

 The most popular bar game for competitive socialising is a darts game and it's modern version "interactive darts".

Typically, when a bar designs its "competitive socializing" space, it plans for a total group of 6-10 people per game lane or table. This includes the 4-6 active players and the 2-4 friends who are there for the drinks, food, and social atmosphere surrounding the game.

My electronic game is designed mainly for two players. It is difficult for  bystanders to see what's going on in this game.

  

 I have an idea to make this game more spectable.

For this purpose I am going to remove embedded displays  at all and replace them with smartphones owned by players and bystanders.

I have tested  this concept and it looks real!

   

ESP32S3 ( 4$ price) can support up to  8  WIFI connections.  So up to 8 persons can   play this game ( in turn)   or watch  it  with their smartphones  in browser's window    .

This game occupies 1 square foot on the table and needs no space around.

Standard table in the standard bar is for 2 or 4 persons . Bigger table is for 8 persons. So such table game fits most possible cases.

General layout looks like this:

My first prototype is made from cheap plastic box. 

 

AI rendering ( Vizcom) shows possible variant with wooden housing and spinners made from bronze.

As smart TV is a common thing in pubs and gaming clubs, it can be used as a display for this game for "zero" cost.

I have made a prototype and it looks not bad.

Will you play this game?

#competitivesocialising, #ESP32, #fidgetspinner, #altctrl, #relaxinggame