This is the first attempt at building an example of the project’s core elements working together. A borrowed projector (3000 lumens) was total overkill for the project, and actually produced a very high amount of infrared light, interfering slightly with my tracking of the pucks. I am now using acrylic that is frosted on one side, which serves two purposes:
1) To act accept the visible light coming from the projector in order to create a display.
2) To diffuse the infrared light being reflected back into the camera off the empty spaces on the playfield.
I have also found acrylic half-spheres at Canal Plastics to hold some interesting properties that apply to this project.
1) They refract light that hits the bottom into a solid ring that is then reflected into the camera.
2) They transmit and magnify visible light from the projector, producing a volumetric color display.
I am going to need to find a non-greasy lubricant to apply to the acrylic to get a nice slide out of the game pieces, as right now, sliding the pieces around feels very static.
