ECE 110/120 Honors Lab Section : Sequential Memory Game

Project Submission: 

Note: Links have also been posted to the comments of this page and have been submitted to the google form before the deadline. We hope you enjoy learning about our project! 

Paper submission: Memory Game - Honors Lab Project .pdf

Link to our code can be found in the references and appendix section at the bottom of the page (#6).

Video submission: Memory Game Video

Statement of Purpose

Sequential memory games, visual processing games, and simple motor development games have long been used at hospitals, rehabilitation, and elderly care centers as a fun way to help brains stay sharp. For our project, we will be creating a portable and affordable alternative to expensive memory training games and devices that can be used for recreation or rehabilitation purposes. We have decided to use Arduinos, LEDs, and buttons to create a game that randomly flashes a series of lights that the player has to match using the buttons that correspond to each light in the correct order. The game will also provide the option for players to increase or decrease the difficulty level of the game. Our goal is to develop a working model of our game (Blinky) that can be used to improve visual processing and sequential memory skills as well as simple motor development skills. Since many hospitals/centers currently use mobile games, our project is useful because it incorporates a manual aspect (pushing buttons) which helps with motor skills. Our project is also useful because it can be used as a fun game that we plan to donate to underprivileged communities where families and local groups may not be able to purchase toys for the community. It is also an inexpensive option for the hospitals we will be donating it to, who may have to pay much more for other memory development tools.

Background Research

To prepare for this project our group explored the financial toll on American families over the past few years, the applications for sequential memory training, and current training techniques already in use at hospitals and elderly care centers. According to the Weill Cornell Brain and Spine Center, a stroke can cause damage to brain tissue and cause “problems with attention, memory, executive functioning, and information processing.” Cognitive therapies at hospitals are designed to use neural plasticity in brains to retrain these skills. “Attention, memory, and executive functions are interdependent, and impairments in these areas profoundly impact daily functioning,” as stated by the Weill Cornell Brain and Spine center, “Therefore, exercises that increase capacity for attention, working memory, and short-term memory will increase overall mental capacity.  Such exercises also increase an individual’s awareness of the mental effort required to process information.” Our project (Blinky) is important because it can be used as an exercise to improve the capacity for the aforementioned skills. We are driven to create a working model and donate it from our desire to help stroke patients and others by making a blueprint for an inexpensive model. In fact, according to the Barrow Neurological Institute, mobile games such as “Sequence - Memory Challenge” and “Repeat!-Follow the Sequence” are recommended as a “fun way” to work on important skills alongside cognitive therapy. Blinky takes this idea one step further by developing motor skills as well since it includes buttons. Our game can also be helpful for people with reading difficulties, as “poor readers have poor sequential memory,” particularly visual sequential memory which is “the ability to remember things seen in sequence” according to an article published on Edublox Online Tutor. In addition to this, the past few years have taken a large financial toll on families across America. “Among those who say their financial situation has gotten worse during the pandemic, 44% think it will take them three years or more to get back to where they were a year ago – including about one-in-ten who don’t think their finances will ever recover,” according to Pew Research Center. By creating and donating an inexpensive toy, we can help parents gift their children in a way they might not have been able to this past year. Our project is different from others we have looked at because we will be adding a display feature, scores, and adjustable difficulty levels.

Block Diagram / Flow Chart

System Overview

Hardware

1. Rocker switch to allow for user to turn it on and off providing them with complete control

2. LEDs and Buttons/Force Sensitive Resistors to allow for more accessibility with an older age group 

Software

1. If pressed start/stop: Connecting back to the rocker switch, the structure of allowing the user to press start will let them have control and start it and stop whenever they please 

2. Start sequence: Random generate a sequence depending on the chosen difficulty level to allow for the user to begin practicing/playing 

3. If the user gets it correct: Allows for a gradual progression rather than a forced switch in difficulty level. This can be less overwhelming and more approachable. 

4. If the user gets it wrong: Provide the user with a similar pattern to what they just attempted in order for them to get acclimated with the difficulty level they’re on before progressing to a harder level 

5. Use buttons/Force Sensitive Resistors: Allow for an improvement in motor dexterity along with being able to change difficulty levels whenever they please (again, giving the user the choice)

Parts

1. Arduino boards (1 or 2)

1. Arduino Uno - R3 ($22.95) → Sparkfun

2. LEDs

1. Assorted 20 pack (COM-12062: $3.30) → Sparkfun

3. Touch sensors (2-4)

1. Force Sensitive Resistors Small (SEN - 09673: $6.95) → Sparkfun

4. Buttons

1. Multicolor buttons 4-pack (PRT - 14460: $1.60) → Sparkfun

2. On and off switch (Rocker switch, COM - 11138: $0.50) → Sparkfun

5. Breadboard (1)

1. Self-Adhesive White (PRT - 12002: $4.95) → Sparkfun

6. Wires/Jumper wires (1)

1. Jumper Wires Standard 7’’ M/M - 30 AWG pack (PRT - 11026: $2.25) → Sparkfun

7. Resistors (25)

1. 300 Ohm ½ Watt Resistors (NTE - HW130: $5.75 for all 25) → Vetco Electronics

8. Battery holder

1. Battery holder - 4xAA Square (PRT - 00552: $1.95) → Sparkfun

9. SunFounder IIC I2C TWI 1602 Serial LCD Module Display for Arduino R3 Mega 2560 16x2 (SNS-192-B019K5X53O: $15.73) → UnlimitedCellular

Possible Challenges

1. Making this device as small, light, and portable as possible

2. Creating different difficulty levels that are adjustable will be a challenge because this is a new concept that we are working on 

3. Everyone’s pace of pushing the buttons/remembering the sequence will be different so we have to figure out the best amount of time to wait before generating a new random sequence 

4. Figuring out the best way to stop the game and start a new round (the difficulty level has to be reset to 1 for each new round as well and then it can be readjusted to the player’s liking)

References and Appendix 

1. [1] M. », "Interfacing Force Sensitive Resistor to Arduino", Instructables, 2021. [Online]. Available: https://www.instructables.com/Interfacing-Force-Sensitive-Resistor-to-Arduino/. [Accessed: 19- Sep- 2021].

2. Pew Research Center’s Social & Demographic Trends Project. 2021. The COVID-19 pandemic's long-term financial impact. [online] Available at: <https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2021/03/05/a-year-into-the-pandemic-long-term-financial-impact-weighs-heavily-on-many-americans/> [Accessed 19 September 2021].

3. Barrowneuro.org. 2021. [online] Available at: <https://www.barrowneuro.org/centers-programs/neurorehabilitation/resources/neuro-rehabilitation-apps-and-games/> [Accessed 19 September 2021].

4. Edubloxtutor.com. 2021. Sequential Memory: Definition, Importance, Overcoming Deficits - Edublox Online Tutor. [online] Available at: <https://www.edubloxtutor.com/sequential-memory/> [Accessed 19 September 2021].

5. Weill Cornell Brain and Spine Center. 2021. Cognitive Remediation After a Stroke. [online] Available at: <https://weillcornellbrainandspine.org/condition/stroke/cognitive-remediation-after-stroke> [Accessed 19 September 2021].

6. Code: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1JVg4W2plHG6w57zFLNzQ65LOFyTQjHzEQRfqRL16TTU/edit?usp=sharing