Alternate designs for Smart Blocks

Before deciding to use the RFID technology with the blocks and the connectors, different other technologies had been considered:

• Using a cricket in each of the cubes, that would detect the sides touching another cube, and sending the number of sides to a computer. Problems: cricket costs 60$ each, so the whole project would cost a lot; and the cricket only has 2 sensors input, while 6 would have been needed.
  
• Using a microcontrollor, doing the same task as above. Problem: none of us has microcontrollor knowledge
• Using an circuit internal to each block that would be linked to a main controllor that would detect the number of used sides. Problem: no electrical engineering knowledge.
• Weight each column. This would of enabled us to know the number of blocks at every position on the surface. Problems: no cubes could have been hanging out in the air (attached by one side); The couldn't have been any holes in the structure either
  

Our biggest constraint was to detect the number of outside sides to calculate the surface area. If it wouldn't have been for that, technology to calculate the volume would have been easier. Here are a few of the ideas we had:

• Weight the whole
• Using RFID for the blocks only

The rational behing our design choice is that RFID is a technology we know and can use easily. It will not require an expertise we do not possess right now, and it enables us to make a prototype quickly, in order to prove our concept.

Also, this technology is one that is relativly cheap, well, some of it is. The tags (RFID stickers) do not cost a lot. However, the RFID reader is more expensive. But for now, the HCI lab possesses a reader, so no cost will be envolved at this point.