CMS Research Summit February 8, 2002 Welcome to Hephaestus.

CMS Research Summit February 8, 2002

Welcome to Hephaestus


Welcome to Hephaestus

Earth is dying...

our only refuge, 4 light years away…

a lone volcanic planet...

HEPHAESTUS

...and everyone wants a piece of the pie.

She found him at his bellows, glazed with sweat As he hurried to complete his latest project,Twenty cauldrons on tripods to line his hall With golden wheels at the base of each tripod.

--The Iliad, Book XVIII


What is Hephaestus?

• The planet Hephaestus resides in the Alpha Centauri star system, orbiting Rigel Kentaurus (Alpha 1 Cen), one of the closest stars to Earth and remarkably similar to Earth's sun.

• Generations of space exploration have only been able to find this one planet, barely capable of supporting life.

• Argo-class evacuation ships full of colonists are already en route. They will die if Hephaestus is not habitable in 5 years!


Why Hephaestus?

• Hephaestus is the name of the Greek God of craftsmen and artisans, famed for his engineering skills and work ethic.

• Among other things, he created Zeus' thunderbolts, Poseidon's trident and two robots of silver and gold.

• His Roman name is Vulcan, the God of volcanic fire, appropriate for the seismic and magmatic instability of the planet.

• Greek names sound way cooler than 'Planet 2076 UA'.


Send in the Robots!

• Only small inorganic machines and data can travel faster-than-light in this era, and the planet needs terraforming to support human life.

• Hephaestus has plentiful mineral resources, which can compensate for the limitations of faster-than-light travel.

• Every nation and corporation is sending its own robots ahead of the human exodus.

Send in the Robots!

DuPont SP-001 "Jackrabbit"

High-speed Remote Prototype


Planetary Multiplayer Role-playing

• Don't just choose your avatar...create it using gears, batteries, bearings, structures and innovative design.

• With cooperation, ingenuity and ruthless determination, exploit the riches of Hephaestus and out-think the competition!


Educational Content

• AP and Freshman Physics, US FIRST engineering

• Energy, mass, force, friction, gravity, design

• Targeted at high-school and early college gamers but content may be accessible to a larger audience.

A robot approaches another ontop of a strategic mountain range.


Community-Based Constructionist

• Constructivist and goal-based activity.

• Players can set their own goals.• Game mechanics reward thoughtful

design, articulation and cooperation, not trial-and-error.

• It must be fun! Realism is secondary. Compromises in game reality must be clearly stated and must improve gameplay.

• Players are constantly engaged in the action, unlike other 'design-then-watch' robot games.


Designing down to the gear


Exploration


Mining Scenario


Bridge Building

http://cms.mit.edu/~philip/openhouse/9a.html


Bridge Building

http://cms.mit.edu/~philip/openhouse/9b.html


Design Workshop

http://cms.mit.edu/~philip/openhouse/9c.html


Competition

http://cms.mit.edu/~philip/openhouse/9d.html


Safety Nets


For more information

• Contact...

CMS Research Summit February 8, 2002 Welcome to Hephaestus.

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