AmEquest is an IOT-enabled urban game in the style of a scavenger hunt. Players must follow clues on the AmeQuest website to find four RFID-enabled amethysts. Each amethyst that is scanned into the AmeQuest treasure portal will provide the next clue. After all four are scanned in, the IOT-enabled treasure chest will open for users to claim their prize.

Inspiration

“Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.”
Arthur C. Clarke

One of the most interesting potential use-cases for IOT technology is to re-enchant our world with a sense of magic and wonder. By imbuing public spaces with playful interactions and games, reality itself can become a game, allowing players to quest and battle their way through intricate and meaningful narratives. This project was very much inspired by Vernor Vinge’s novel Rainbow’s End exploring a world where Augmented Reality rules users everyday perceptions of what is true and ‘real’.

Materials & Technology

• Arduino Uno
• Raspberry Pi 3
• RFID Reader & RFID Stickers
• Electromagnetic Lock
• Piezo/Speaker
• Reclaimed Treasure Chest
• Craft Supplies
• Node.js
• Web Sockets

Technical Overview

AmeQuest is a full-stack website hosted on a Raspberry Pi. An Arduino and RFID reader processes RFID tags through a Node.js back-end, using web sockets to update the website to detect a tag has been scanned in and provide a clue to where the next can be found. When all four tags are found, a button on the website appears to unlock the chest. When pushed, this communicates back through Node.js to the Arduino triggering the Zelda Treasure Chest theme to play and the electromagnetic lock in the chest to disengage. Users can now claim their hard-earned prize from the chest.

See the code on GitHub.

Learn more in the AmeQuest Blog post.