Summary of OFFLINE DINOSAUR-JUMPING BECOMES A REAL WORKOUT
This article describes a fitness project where a user controls Google's offline dinosaur game by physically jumping. The setup uses an Arduino-based transmitter to detect jumps via an accelerometer and sends signals wirelessly to a receiver connected to a laptop, which presses the space bar to make the dinosaur jump over cacti.
Parts used in the Quarantine Dinosaur Jump Project:
- Arduino UNO
- Accelerometer module
- nRF24L01 transceiver
- 9 V battery
- Laptop
It’s great to see people are out there trying to find fun ways to exercise amid the current crisis. Although jumping up and down isn’t great for the knees, it does give decent cardio. But if you don’t have a rope or a puddle, we admit that jumping can lose its bounce pretty fast.
Quarantine has been a game-filled time for [fridaay]. Somewhere between a handful of FPS games, he decided to try to play Google’s offline dinosaur-based side scroller game by making the dinosaur spring over the saguaros whenever he physically jumps in the air. (Video, embedded below.)
Here’s how it works: [fridaay] holds a transmit circuit that consists of an Arduino UNO, an accelerometer module, and an nRF24L01 transceiver, all running on a 9 V battery. Whenever [fridaay] jumps, the accelerometer reads the change in Z and sends it to the receiving circuit, which is just another UNO and nRF. The receiving UNO is connected to a laptop and configured to press the space bar so the dinosaur canters over the cacti.
We’ve never been able to stay alive long enough in the game to see this happen, but apparently you need to crouch at some point in the game. [fridaay] has yet to implement a control for that, but we’re sure he’ll think of something. Jump past the break to see the video, and hit him up if you need the code.
If you have a lot of parts at your disposal, why not make a physical version?
Source: OFFLINE DINOSAUR-JUMPING BECOMES A REAL WORKOUT
- How does the system detect a jump?
The accelerometer module reads the change in Z when the user jumps. - What components are in the transmit circuit?
The transmit circuit consists of an Arduino UNO, an accelerometer module, and an nRF24L01 transceiver. - How is the signal sent to the computer?
The transmitter sends data to a receiving circuit with another UNO and nRF, which is connected to a laptop. - What action does the receiving UNO perform?
The receiving UNO is configured to press the space bar so the dinosaur can run over the cacti. - What power source is used for the circuit?
The entire setup runs on a 9 V battery. - Does the current setup allow the dinosaur to crouch?
No, the author has yet to implement a control for crouching at this time. - Can users access the code for this project?
Yes, the author mentions that people can contact him if they need the code. - Why might jumping lose its bounce quickly?
Jumping can lose its bounce pretty fast if you do not have a rope or a puddle.
