Students Look to Revitalize Route 66 with the Wii and Google
- May 15, 2010
Design students at California State University, East Bay are hoping the latest Wii and Google technologies will revitalize interest in Route 66.
At a multimedia debut for their project in June, students will roll out a retrofitted 1969 Volkswagen Bug with windshield-mounted computer monitors that let users navigate through 3-D recreations of Route 66 through photos, maps, audio, and video clips.
Recently, Technorati discussed the project with Marc Meyer, a graduate student and Professor Rafael Hernandez, Chair of the Music Department and Director of Graduate Multimedia Program.
TR: What was the impetus behind this project?
"The team’s interest in history, preservation and strong storytelling led us to start investigating possible subject matter that met these criteria and could be used as the foundation for a graduate thesis," said Marc Meyer a multimedia graduate student. "After investigating different possibilities, we decided to focus the project on Route 66, which as a legendary road contained compelling content and resonated in people’s memories. We also wanted to use a familiar physical object (the car) to deliver multimedia content about Route 66 for a unique window into its story."
TR: What do the students hope to accomplish?
"We hope the finished project will contribute to the appreciation, understanding, and preservation of Route 66, which we feel is an essential part of American history and our cultural landscape," said Meyer.
TR: How does this project tie into the school's mission?
"Cal State East Bay President Mo Qayoumi has stated, 'The future economic and social vibrancy of our region and our nation depend on an increasingly well-educated and technology-skilled workforce. Cal State East Bay has accepted the challenge to become a university that is a major regional resource and hub for science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education.' The University anticipates a future that will see a dramatic increase in careers in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields. A world in which all graduates – regardless of major and degree – must be technically proficient," said Professor Hernandez.
He added, "This thesis project, and others currently in production, exemplifies the University's mission to provide relevant, meaningful, and accessible instruction that, in this case, challenges students to meld creativity with technology with the goal of creating exciting interactive content uniquely presented."
TR: Are there other projects in the works of this magnitude?
"There are three other thesis projects currently in production, each reaching deep into creative wells to push concepts defining interactive content," Professor Hernandez said. "Kimono Monsters consists of two interactive garments that invite the wearers to engage in gestural play and have their pet monsters interact with each other, shirt to shirt; Labyrinth is a large-format multi-touch game that invites players to play as Greek hero, Thesus, as he tries to escape the labyrinth and defeat the Minotaur; and, The final thesis project in development is Living Town, a geo-location based iPhone game that encourages players to explore natural habitats while educating them about being better ecological stewards."
TR: What have been the key learnings so far?
"During the course of the project we learned to work around both technological limitations and budget restrictions to manage a large scale project," Meyer said. "In particular, learning to adjust for the limitations imposed by using the Google Earth plug-in and using just the car’s physical controls were particularly challenging. We had to find appropriate ways to display content while navigating Google Earth with the realization that users were not going to be sitting in front of a computer using the typical mouse and keyboard, but instead inside a car."
TR: Can you share any details about the technology (hardware, software, etc.) that will be used to develop the content around this project?
"Using the car’s controls, much like you would actually drive a car, a user can navigate through Google Earth, which the team has populated with Google SketchUp 3D models of significant Route 66 locations. When a user triggers a content container, we can view text, photos and video that the project team has collected on our own road trip on Route 66," Meyer said. "A hacked Wiimote is attached to the steering column. Soldered connections run from the Wiimote to the gas and braked pedal. Utilizing the Wiimote’s accelerometer, and the inputs from the gas and brake, it sends information to a program called GlovePie, which enables the user to navigate around Google Earth using the car’s physical controls."
TR: How does the group plan on sharing the content and their experience?
"Ideally, the team would like the finished project to be experienced by various people interested in Route 66. This might be as a temporary exhibit at various historical societies and museums along the Route," Meyer said. "The team is open to various opportunities that would allow the project to increase awareness and appreciation of Route 66, the Mother Road."