iSIG-Blocks: Interactive Creation Blocks for Tangible Geometric Games

This paper presents interactive creation blocks, called iSIG-Blocks (interactive SIG-Blocks), for automated tangible geometric games. iSIG-Blocks can detect physical motions and assembly configurations using embedded sensors. Each block features programmable LED display, a buzzer, and a vibration motor to provide sensory feedback to the player. A graphical user interface and tangible pattern design software (TAPware) were also developed for game administration, performance monitoring, and game customization. TAPware incorporates a computational measure of geometric complexity for generating game items of varying difficulty levels. For preliminary evaluation, a tangible memory game, Memorix, was developed and tested on a small group of young adults (N=12). The test results revealed that accuracy in correctness and in manipulation speed measurements was over 98%. Also, high correlation was found between the game performance and the complexity measure (r=0.84, p<0.01). Parameter sensitivity analysis revealed that the participants' failure rate was more sensitive to color than to length or geometric shape, used in the game pattern(1).