Some of the problems that social isolation causes are the feeling of loneliness, stress and disconnection from reality. The elderly and kids being the ones who suffer the most. In the long run, social distancing can leave those people with diseases related to their mental healths like depression and anxiety. Astruss represents an opportunity to utilize day-to-day technology to connect isolated people trough activities that will make them feel part of a team.
Everyone in the team has seen some people struggle with the social distancing. Family members, friends, coworkers, we all know someone who really suffers due to the lack of interaction with other people. This, along for our love for getting together and playing games, gave us the idea to try and replicate the experience of playing a card, board or any kind of analog game.
The extensive use of video calls during the pandemic also made clear how this technology is very accessible to people of different ages. So we designed a clean UI in a comprehensive way so that our game can be played by families, from kids, to their grandparents.
The data given by NASA helped us get some insight on Expeditionary Skills. Our game, Astruss, is highly based on those skills. We also used the data on the effects of isolation on astronauts, as reference for better understanding what are we fighting against.
Our goal is to bring the astronauts' preparation for isolation to the players in a light and fun way.
Most of the tools we used were chosen because the team already had some experience with it. Adding the network and video call solutions were a little bit problematic at the beginning, so the development team spent the first day figuring out which tools to use and how to use them. Our teamwork was very fluid and everyone was very participative which resulted in a solid MVP.
https://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/stem-on-station/expeditionary-skills-for-life.html
https://www.nasa.gov/feature/an-astronaut-s-tips-for-living-in-space-or-anywhere
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=964