LED Air Hockey table was the first project I did with Aaron Plaksen at BRDG. Over the period of 2 days, we figured out how to set up the LED panels, create a simple video game in Unity, and designed a control scheme using Leap Motion sensors and TouchDesigner.

We started with resolution testing with a single display, then worked our way up to chaining 3 displays and developing a game on it. Since the firmware for the Leap Motion only allows for one tracking device per computer, we connected 2 computers to handle multiple Leap Motion devices.

User Testing

After we got the game running, we started doing user testing with our coworkers. We realized that we needed a score tracking system as well as additional visual effects. Most importantly, we realized that players try to put their hands really close to the Leap Motion device, causing it to lose track of the hands. This means that we would have needed to add prompts to put their hands higher.

Documentation

I documented every step of the LED panel set up, which is passed on to the studio for future projects. The panels required a control device and configuration set up on the browser that can be confusing to first time users.

Adaptations

Later on, we added more visual effects and variations of the game, including scoring, infinite puck mode, and a variation using Logitech Extreme 3D Pro for those who have trouble with using the Leap Motion.

Since we used TouchDesigner to handle input devices, it was easy to switch between different controllers and still have it mapped correctly to the game.

Unfortunately I do not have any footage of these variations so you’ll have to trust my words that players had even more fun!