I also developed a strategy for uniquely representing the state of two-dimensional puzzle pieces based on topological relationships. To test my ideas, I developed a prototype Tangram puzzle which uses computer vision techniques to track the pieces. The environment that I built for playing with the puzzle contains a video camera in the midst of a bank of lights. I marked the physical puzzle pieces with reflective paint to help to identify the pieces and to simplify the computer vision problem. Environment The Goudreau Museum of Mathematics in Art and Science serves nearly 15,000 visitors annually, many of them economically disadvantaged.
Visitors usually come as part of a class, typically in groups of thirty-five at a time.
Although these puzzles prove to be a perennial favorite at the museum, they also are a source of frustration for students who get stuck and don't receive the help that they need. This occurs more often than the museum staff would like, primarily because the one instructor can help only so many people at one time. It was this very problem that inspired the effort outlined in this proposal. Last year, three undergraduate women worked with me on the project. The third worked on the project for one semester as her CIS 60.1 senior project.