Project Information
Type: Coding, interactive, 3D
Year: Fall 2024
A Sisyphean Task is an interactive installment/game developed using p5 and Arduino technology. It is a fun, playful spin on the tale of Sisyphus, where a 3D printed boulder is rolled by the viewer, causing Sisyphus to move up the hill as he is barraged by boulders. The goal is to reach the top of the hill, which may or may not be possible. Visuals were created using Womp 3D, creating a fun, simple, yet somewhat odd and realistic set of visuals. This project was my first time working with physical components of this sort and was incredibly fun.
The original concept had multiple types of balls and rocks you could scan in using nfc technology, each different type of ball would be a different weight and be easier/harder to push up the hill. Some of the options I had in mind included a golfball, a baseball, and a basketball. The user input technique changed many times, ranging from a scroll wheel to button mashing. This was soon changed to the current iteration, where the user pushed a rock in the real world, as if the they WERE sisyphus.
The project evolved and changed as I learned more and more about the physical components I was using. Several features that were planned, such as the various balls being read via NFC, ended up being scrapped, but the final project is still one of my favorites to this day.
