Someone Made a Real-Life Version of Flappy Bird, and It's Just As Irritating As the Original
Flappy Bird has already sent you flying into a rage on your smartphone. Now it can frustrate and madden you in real life, too.
Fawn Qiu has created a game called Flappy Bird IRL, a clever DIY project that makes physical the popular smartphone game with some homemade programming and a bit of cardboard.
Here’s how Qiu made it: First, she used a packaging box to make the frame of the game and two small dowels to create the rolling background. Those dowels are controlled by a motor that turns on when she presses a blue start button. Then she attached another motor to a popsicle stick that opens and closes the box at the beginning and end of every session.
The Flappy Bird itself contains a magnetic sensor called a reed switch, which is programmed to be in a continual downward motion until you tap the button (just like the smartphone version). When the magnetic sensor touches the magnet — which is taped behind the pipes — the game is over.
Qiu programmed the entire contraption using an Arduino microcontroller she got at a hack-a-thon. She’s hosting an event on Feb. 24 in New York so people can try the tangible game out on their own. Guests will also be able to play using some of the copycat characters that have popped up recently, including Flying Cyrus and Splashy Fish.
As you may recall, Flappy Bird famously shot to the top of the iTunes most-downloaded free games list earlier this month. After being overwhelmed with the attention his creation had garnered, the game’s developer removed the app from the store.
That hasn’t stopped enthusiasts, including Qiu, from making their own versions.
I’m just thankful this doesn’t involve an actual bird flapping around in a closed shoebox.
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