STEM THROUGH SHOES
A project sponsored by Ansys with support from Zellerfeld
In service to World Health Organization Sustainable Development Goals
the starting point
the road to prosperity
The KicksLab project was meant to help close the gap between poverty and prosperity. With footwear as the flywheel. students were challenged to create a tool to develop agency.
developing agency
The World Shoe ecosystem starts with the distribution of shoes to promote health. One way to to help young people on the journey toward prosperity is to expose to them the possibility of being a part of the footwear ecosystem rather than simply the recipient of charity.
real world technology
The foundation of the Kicks Lab experience is a digital twin which replicates the footwear product creation process. Players must make real-world decisions about the product they create. The game was informed by the technology of both Ansys and Zellerfeld.
the digital twin in the game
At the start of the game players are provided a costumer profile that includes specifics about what they need in their shoe.
Players must make decisions about not only the construction of the shoe but what materials to use and where.
Once configured the product can be testing using industrial-grade virtual simulation technology developed with Ansys expertise..
playtesting in school
Master’s students from the Entertainment Technology Center conducted early prototype playtest sessions at the Life Male Steam Academy in Pittsburgh.
Students tested early prototypes of the game.
Research students conducted pre-game interviews.
Player experience feedback was prompted and documented.
The Carnegie Mellon ETC KicksLab team left to right: Sky Gap, Libby Egan, Samantha Lai, Jiwon Park and Steven Wang