Cloth Car Challenge
Cloth Car Challenge is an obstacle-course driving game that was developed to showcase proprietary capacitive textile controllers invented by Drexel University’s Pennsylvania Fabric Discovery Center (PAFDC) at alt.ctrl.GDC 2023.
Video credit: MechBird
While I was a Manufacturing Engineer Intern at the Drexel PAFDC, I pitched Cloth Car Challenge as a means to test out the center’s research and development. My involvement with the project spanned from blueprinting controller designs to leading the game’s development and eventual exhibition at the 2023 Game Developers Conference (GDC).
The exhibit featured two types of controllers:
- Pillow controllers with sliders
- Trackpad-blankets
…and two games!
- Cloth Car Challenge
- Trouble in Tornado Town
Key Responsibilities
- Coordinated the project’s vision, from concept to execution, ensuring the game effectively highlighted the potential of fabric-based interfaces.
- Generated leads with Fortune 500 companies and engaged other potential collaborators at GDC 2023.
- Produced detailed technical drawings of prototypes and electronic circuits.
- Designed and manufactured 3D printed housings for custom Arduino boards, integrating electronics and textile technology into a cohesive, functional system.
Throughout the project, I was able to blend my interests in game development with the innovative application of textile engineering. The project not only highlighted the versatility of textile technologies in interactive applications but also fostered significant industry connections and demonstrated my capabilities in technical design and project leadership.
Spencer Cohen 