A cyber-physical educational game of Petanca: Petan-Camins

Abstract

Continuously emerging technologies in Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) are transforming the sector. In the Industry, the digitization of the built environment in manifold ways represents a pivotal moment in terms of increasing productivity, resource efficiency, safety and cost-benefit. As in other domains, this digitization comes with a profound cost in disruption. In Civil Engineering Education, there is a debate needed when it comes to embedding digitization within curricula in ways it fosters creativity and guarantees equal opportunities. Educators in Civil Engineering are increasingly making attempts for embedding digitization activities properly. This innovative practice is aimed at providing one bridge between the physical and the virtual realms to civil engineering students. It aims at eliciting reflective thoughts on how information may flow in this physical-to-virtual journey. In particular, info coming from Terrestrial Laser Scanners, one tool that is claimed to contribute considerably in the digitization of the sector. For this purpose, a classical physical Mediterranean game Petanca is enriched with a terrestrial laser scanner (TLS) and with computational geometry tools to become a physical-to-virtual game. This work in progress presents the tools, the methodology and some of the results obtained in initial editions of the activity at the School of Civil Engineering in Barcelona, Spain.