Trove: a physical game running on an ad-hoc wireless sensor network

Abstract

This paper describes Trove, a physical game implemented on a wireless sensor network (WSN). Architecturally, the WSN is a decentralized system, exhibiting local node processing and information extraction, collaborative inter-node behaviour and local decision making capabilities. From the perspective of the players, Trove is a multi-player, real time, physical game. The user-centered narrative, configuration and game play of Trove ate presented as well as its design and implementation.Trove will be used at Coventry University as a pedagogical aid in under- and postgraduate modules which incorporate concepts from pervasive computing and sensor networks; and also for the dissemination of research work to members of the public. Although educational through its use, the work presented here concerns, from a technical viewpoint, the very specifics of physical WSN design, implementation and deployment and forms a good basis for further proof of concept experimentation within the domain.