A team of 2 developers from Sentient Computing took part in the Unearthed Hackathon in Perth over the weekend of 02/05/14. With only 2 days available, they tackled the challenge to provide a simulation solution to assist mines in managing a network of linked conveyor belts in a port stockyard. The goal was to be able to track and manage the dependencies between conveyors, control the traffic, and coordinate maintenance and downtime issues.
Using our MVX technology along with existing conveyor, and equipment assets, they were able to create an interactive 3D simulation of the actual stockyard. The application is linked to phone and mobile devices so that a person on site can navigate to where a problem is, and remote users who can see exactly what they are referring to. Due to time constraints, they were only partially able to implement the connection to the underlying network and database. However, they were able to demonstrate the ability to select and modify control settings on the conveyors using the simulation tool.
There were rounds of applause during the presentation, as people saw how easy it is to navigate through the virtual mine site and how accurately the equipment and stockyard are depicted. The value of being able explore the true environment, as opposed to relying on 2D schematics, had enormous appeal.
The opportunity to rapidly prototype and deploy a real-world solution made for a challenging and fun weekend. It was good to interact with other teams who work with different technologies and to network with local talent.
Last Friday saw one of the many exciting events the MVX team takes part in – a Tech Day.
Tech days for the team mean freedom to pursue an idea or concept that until then, may have had to been put on the back-burner. We can work in teams or alone, and a number of unique projects have emerged due to it.
This time however, was a group effort – the very first MVX internal game jam! The idea behind this topic being a chance to create something from the industry that has such a big impact on our work – games. Every Tech Day has brought something to the table to benefit MVX, and this was no exception – the project the team decided to undertake was based on training a player on the different extinguisher types and what fires they should be used on. The concept was to create an interactive, multiplayer system that functioned similarly to the Man Vs Machine mode of Valve’s TF2.
Early networking prototype – pills and boxes!
Look at those particles!
The team ready to fight fire.
The team worked incredibly hard over 14 hours, and was able to produce a fully functional prototype – which we then got the entire office to play together!
It was a great day, and the team had a lot of fun working together. Far from finished, we’ve all decided to continue working on it in future, and look forward to sending it out and letting you all get to experience co-operative fire fighting!
