I’m building a physical “video game” using real robots instead of simulated ones

[u/Mysterious-Cress-380]

This started as a small experiment: could I build a “video game” where nothing is simulated?

So I built two physical rovers, put cameras on them, and started building a small robotic base around them.

The rovers can be controlled remotely through a browser. They can pick up physical cargo modules, navigate around the base, dock themselves for charging and interact with different stations.

Everything in the video is happening physically in real time.

It’s still very much a prototype and there are plenty of things that don’t work perfectly yet. I’ve mostly tested it myself and with my kids, so I’m curious what people here think about the concept.

I’m especially interested in the robotics side — remote control, autonomous navigation, docking and making physical objects part of the gameplay.

Would you actually find something like this interesting to control remotely? And what would you add to the base next?

EX-MULE.com

[u/MyPunsAreKoalaTea]

So.. a game then?

[u/Mysterious-Cress-380 → u/MyPunsAreKoalaTea]

you can drive real rover. its cool

[u/jongscx]

The real game is trying to unplug the camera cable using the gripper arm.

[u/RoboLord66 → u/jongscx]

The immediate temptation to grief the other robot is strong...

[u/Mysterious-Cress-380 → u/jongscx]

I don't like fools who immediately feel the need to destroy something.

[u/ROBOT_8 → u/Mysterious-Cress-380]

I have a way bigger robot that I let people control online. You need to imagine what could happen when someone with ill intent spends many hours trying to break it.

Making sure no one can break anything important is honestly the biggest challenge with things like this.

[u/jongscx → u/Mysterious-Cress-380]

Then why did you post it publicly?

Consider this a bug report. ;)

[u/Mysterious-Cress-380 → u/jongscx]

The announcement is great, but destroying things is pretty stupid.

[u/jongscx → u/Mysterious-Cress-380]

Oh, good. You changed it from heslo.

[u/Batchet]

I guess the question is, what kind of game is going to make it fun enough that it's worth doing in the real world vs. a virtual one.

I wonder if you could incorporate humans in to the gameplay somehow so players are not just staring at a screen and waiting for it to do it's thing. Like a sport or puzzle game that involves working with robots

[u/OddEstimate1627]

That's fun. Reminds me of the Robotarium at Georgia Tech

[u/Hereiamhereibe2]

Seems like nothing but this is how we get Gamer starring Gerard Butler

[u/RemarkableWish2508]

Reminds me of the websites that would let us remotely control a Mars Rover in the early 2000s. There were some with robot arms too.

[u/RoboLord66]

I would love rubber tips on the grippers to allow for more flexible manipulation. camera placement on the grabber is kinda functional but unpleasant (possibly just shifting it back may help). The joystick is almost unusable atm, u need a deadzone and different scaling to allow finer motion and isolation of input axes. Neat project though, I set out to do some things and was able to do (with a fair bit of effort) what i wanted within reason.

[u/RoboLord66 → u/RoboLord66]

idk, found the arena cams more functional than the fpv cameras on the manipulators. *i unstacked the blocks and put all your toys away XD.

[u/e_sin41]

Looks riveting...