Ryan Demonstrated the Basics of Torsion Mechanics

Engineering student Ryan Shannon and friends created a high-tech, interactive version of Twister that tracks the positions of players on any of 24 possible locations. A dc motor spins the player position arrow, the location of which is tracked by two photo interrupters. A micro-controller correlates the signals with game position, sending a series of pulses to a sound chip that issues vocal instructions, also displayed on an LCD. To deter the potential for cheating, copper switches on the board track the position of all players.