ETC's Project Evolve

Before Evolve became a project in the ETC, the idea of an education-based escape room originated in OH! Labs, a part of CMU's Human-Computer Interaction Institute. The rocks/minerals maze seen here is a magnetic puzzle I developed as a part of that initial concept, although this particular puzzle was not used in the final version of the narrative.

The maze measures approximately 25" x 25" and is made from laser-cut birch plywood. The original model was developed in Solidworks.

My primary contribution to Evolve was Viggo, the companion robot. One of the challenges of the puzzle room is to locate and attach two modules to Viggo, who subsequently comes to life. Throughout the experience, guests interact with Viggo - asking questions and clarifications about puzzles in the room, as well as watching him drive away in the "winning" scenario.

Viggo runs off a Raspberry Pi, and is equipped with a miniature camera, microphone (with transmitter/receiver), and speaker. He is built on top of an iRobot base similar to that of a roomba. All CAD modelling was done using Solidworks, and all custom parts were laser cut, 3D printed, or machined by hand.