After successfully developing the online game and server, and establishing data exchange between the game and the ESP32, which serves as the brain of the chessboard, the next step is to design and build the physical chessboard.

Following several brainstorming sessions, we finalized this design for the chessboard :

How It Works:

Each square on the spherical chessboard is accessible through two movements: rotating the sphere to navigate through the files and moving along the rail to traverse the ranks (if the sphere is visualized as a flat plane). 

Movement Sequence:

1. Positioning: The cart moves along the rail while the sphere rotates to align the linear actuator with the piece's current position.
2. Grabbing the Piece: The linear actuator extends, and the gripper secures the chess piece.
3. Moving to the Target Square: The cart moves along the rail, and the sphere rotates to align the linear actuator with the desired position.
4. Releasing the Piece: The linear actuator extends, and the gripper releases the piece onto the target square.
5. Capturing a Piece: The cart moves to a fixed position above the capture zone (a rotating gear at the bottom). The linear actuator rotates, extends, and places the piece in the capture zone. The zone then rotates to make space for the next captured piece.

Key Elements of the Design:

• Sphere : 20 cm diameter, tilted at approximately 25°, will be 3d printed.
• Chess Piece : 60 mm in height, held in place with magnets on both the sphere and the capture zone, will also be 3d printed.
• Rail : The rail will be made of mutiple layer of laser cutted wood.
• Motors and Actuators:
  • 3 stepper motors (sphere rotation, capture zone rotation, cart movement on the rail).
  • 1 linear actuator.
  • 2 servos (one for linear actuator rotation, one for the gripper).
• User Interface: A small screen for displaying information and configuring the chessboard, similar to modern 3D printers.