The Class: ME218C
ME218C is the final class in a year-long course sequence in Smart Product Design, also known as Mechatronics, at Stanford University. The Mechatronics classes are taught by Professor Ed Carryer and utilize the facilities of the Smart Product Development Lab, or SPDL. Each quarter culminates in a team design project in which students design the mechanical, electronic and software systems for a device. In ME218A, students build interactive devices, usually creative arcade games. In ME218B students build autonomous robots, and in ME218C, students build creatively-designed radio-controlled vehicles and their controllers.
The Game: Zombies on the High Seas
Example configuration of the beginning of a game round
Each team was tasked to design and build a tele-operated Human/Zombie Vehicle (HZV) and a companion Living/Undead Controller (LUC).These vehicles were to be driven on the newly opened Terman Pond.
Each round consists of a competition between two fleets, Human vs. Zombie, where the number of HZV in each fleet varied from round to round. The goal for the Zombie fleet is to convert the Human fleet to Zombies by popping a balloon located in the aft section of the HZV. Likewise, the Human fleet is trying to "gather supplies" by popping balloons located in the Supply Depot(s). The Zombies are also controlled by a Necromancer which can change controls, such as decreasing the throttle or reversing directions, at will.
The game ends once all the Humans become Zombies or the all of the balloons on the supply depots have been allocated. Once a Human is converted into a Zombie a standby LUC will resume control.
Our Team: Boats N O's
In keeping with the "zombie" essence of this year's 218C challenge, our team decided to pay tribute to a timeless character that is, in a way, a zombie. In Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, Anakin Skywalker looses in an epic battle against Obi-Wan Kenobi. His arms and legs are severed by Obi-Wan's lightsaber and he catches on fire after sliding into a river of lava. His body is found and bionically reconstructed, reborn as the dark Lord Vader. The HZV created by our team is his Starfighter.