HPC/V Airbike at Noorderzon 2011

During the Noorderzon festival in Groningen, HPC/V showed an interactive 3D game in a huge cube called Qu3. The installation was commissioned by Groningen Seaports. The theme of all installations in Qu3 was Energy and Health. We have chosen a game where people had to cycle in order to fly high above the Harbors. Along the way they encountered a number of educational questions with some fun facts about the Eemshaven and Groningen Seaports.

For interfacing we opted for a modified exercise bike so people could steer left/right and up/down.  For a special effect there was a big fan, which was activated when a turbo boost point was passed. A red start button did exactly what one would expect.

Of course there was also a list of high scores.  We didn't use a keyboard or other difficult tricks to enter a username, but instead used a webcam to capture a finish photo. That photo was shown together with the scores at the end of the game. We used our mobile 3D stereo projection system and a semi-transparent screen on which the game was projected from the rear.