SBIR Phase I: Three Dimensional Data Construction Platform Using Near Field Communications for Interaction With Engineering Game

这个SBIR第一阶段项目探索了通过使用专有平台进行游戏来教授基本工程概念的方法。该平台由瓷砖组成，这些瓷砖可以以不同的方式在3个维度上组合在一起，作为游戏的输入。这款游戏是在一台配对的设备上实现的，可以在平板电脑或电脑上运行。玩家将在游戏中面临越来越困难的挑战和谜题，并将不得不使用物理瓷砖来帮助构建解决方案。工程学领域存在3个维度，拟议的项目旨在探索在我们最年轻的学习者中建立这一领域的直觉。更广泛的影响是，该平台的存在是一种手段，以一种有趣和吸引人的方式介绍不同的STEM主题，创造美好的回忆，可能会导致更多的孩子有兴趣在未来从事STEM相关领域的研究。该项目还有一个使命是在设计中保持性别中立，从而提供对女孩和男孩都有兴趣的游戏。这个SBIR第一阶段项目将探索通过使用近场通信，将一个专有平台扩展到可以读取和构建2维到3维的数据。近场通信存在一个给定的理论限制，该项目将探索对当前专有解决方案的优化和添加，以实现更接近理论限制的通信距离。专有系统高度紧凑，该项目将研究在提高系统射程的同时防止自我干扰的方法。主要的探索包括优化现成的近场通信嵌入物设计，优化现有的天线设计和网络，以及可能增加一个信号放大器来扩大系统的范围。

This SBIR Phase I Project explores the approach of teaching fundamental engineering concepts through engaging gameplay using a proprietary platform. The platform consists of tiles that can be put together in different ways in 3 dimensions, acting as an input to a game. The game is implemented on a paired device that can be on a tablet or a computer. The player will be presented increasingly difficult challenges and puzzles within game, and will have to use the physical tiles to assist in constructing the solution. The field of engineering exists in 3 dimensions, and the proposed project aims to explore building the intuition of this field within our youngest learners. The broader impact is in the vision for the platform to exist as a means to introduce different STEM topics in a fun and engaging manner, creating fond memories that could lead to more children with an interest in pursuing STEM related fields in the future. The project also has a mission to remain gender neutral in its design, so as to provide games that foster interest in both girls and boys.This SBIR Phase I Project will explore, through the use of near field communications, the extension of a proprietary platform that can read and construct data in 2 dimensions to 3 dimensions. There is a given theoretical limit to which near field communications are viable, and this project will explore optimizations and additions to the current proprietary solution to achieve a communications distance closer to the theoretical limit. The proprietary system is highly compact, and the project will be researching ways to prevent self interference while improving the range of the system. The main explorations include a look at optimizing off-the-shelf near field communications inlay designs, optimizing the current antenna design and network, and the potential addition of a signal amplifier to boost the range of the system.