The research that is part of the Orgatronics project, led by graduates and teachers of the Systems Engineering program at the University of Cauca, was presented in 2019 at different events in Colombia and China and will be published by IEEE Xplore.

 

Orgatronics is an educational video game that integrates IoT technologies in such a way that the student, through a series of challenges, can strengthen their knowledge of the biological cell acquired in the classroom. Our proposal consists of two parts: video game for mobile devices and challenge resolution using the physical model of the cell. In this way, Oscar Santiago López Erazo, a graduate of the Systems Engineering program at the University of Cauca, presents the research article that will be published in IEEE Xplore.

 

The article "Orgatronics: A physically interactive videogame for learning biology concepts using IoT technologies", which is part of the research project "Orgatronics", was developed with the graduate David Santiago García Chicangana under the direction of the professors of the Systems Engineering program , Miguel Ángel Niño Zambrano and Hendrys Fabián Tobar Muñoz.

 

The research project has participated in events such as the REDIS 2018 Academic Meeting, where it obtained first place in the ‘Seed Poster’ modality and won the opportunity to appear at the 13th Colombian Computing Congress. From there, it was presented at The 13th International Conference on E-learning and Games (Edutainment), held in Cali, in 2019, and then it was accepted for publication in the proceedings of the Conference on Virtual Reality and Visualization (ICVRV), made in china.

 

“Orgatronics”, was developed in the electives Development of Educational Solutions and Semantic Web loT, as an educational video game that seeks to teach the functions of organelles through the care of the cell, while being controlled by the user to bring it towards its objective through the different circuits.

 

In the course of the game, the cell will advance along an artery. The user can move it to the right or to the left to avoid the different obstacles (divisions, curves, etc.) that are in the artery. An important aspect that the user must take into account is to pay attention to the energy level of his cell and protect it from attacks by viruses and bacteria.

 

Upon reaching the end of the artery within the allotted time, it will gain an organelle that will be incorporated into the player's cell and will be activated at the next level, performing its function. It is important to note that the game is intended for the player to discover the functions of the organelles through the actions they perform.

 

After completing all levels, the player can access the challenge section. Challenges can be met using the physical model of the cell and its organelles, which incorporate RFID sensors. Each challenge is a question associated with the performance of the organelles and they have a time limit to be answered.

 

In order for the player to respond, he must place the organelle that he believes to be correct in the physical model of the cell, based on the perceived functionality of his experience with the video game. The game will evaluate whether the answer is correct or will encourage the player to try again.

 

More Info:

 

Oscar Santiago López Erazo

Email: santiagolopez94@unicauca.edu.co