Pedal-Powered Energy Flow Installation
A competitive, kinetic IoT-based interactive installation developed at SECTOR4 INTERACTIVE inpartnership with agency Ortmor for NAMA Power and Water Procurement (Daymah),Oman — connecting dual pedal generator units to Arduino Uno microcontrollers and dual-screenUnity simulations to gamify urban energy generation.
Project Case Study & Overview
Sector4 Interactive (S4) partnered with Ortmor andNAMA Power and Water Procurement (Daymah), Oman, to conceptualize, design, anddeploy an engaging IoT-based interactive installation. The goal was to educate exhibition attendees andraise public awareness about electricity generation, consumption, and sustainability through an active,hands-on experience.
By incorporating a friendly competitive head-to-head race, visitors used their own physical kinetic poweron stationary pedal devices to generate electricity in real-time. As they pedaled faster, high-speedenergy flow animations accelerated through a virtual 3D city and commercial buildings, competing to seewho could fully energize their building first.
My Technical Role & Implementation
As the Unity 3D & IoT Developer, I designed and developed the complete interactive softwarepipeline and microcontroller integration:
Arduino Uno Hardware Interfacing
Connected rotational cadence and Hall-effect sensors mounted on pedal generators to Arduino Unoboards, converting mechanical cadence into steady, filtered digital data streams over serial USB.
Dual-Screen Competitive Architecture
Built a dual-display Unity runtime that mapped independent pedal data channels to two competingscreen displays simultaneously, driving synchronized race logic and real-time speedometers.
Dynamic Energy Flow Shaders
Programmed responsive shader effects that mapped pedaling intensity to current pulse velocity,circuit line glow intensity, and step-by-step building illumination milestones.
Automated Kiosk State Machine
Engineered an autonomous arcade-style state machine featuring idle attraction loops, player-readycountdowns, race timers, victory animations, and automatic resets for rapid audience throughput.
The Visitor Experience Flow
- 01
Take the Saddle & Ready Up
Two competitors take seats at the pedal stations facing their respective large-format displays.
- 02
Pedal to Generate Kinetic Energy
On the "GO!" signal, participants pedal vigorously. Arduino microcontrollers capture RPM andwattage pulses, feeding real-time speed data directly into Unity.
- 03
City Grid & Building Power Race
Energy visibly courses from the pedal station through underground cables and substations into thecityscape, progressively lighting floors of the high-rise tower.
- 04
Full Grid Victory Celebration
The first competitor to achieve 100% building illumination triggers a fireworks celebration,sound fanfare, and victory banner, teaching the physical effort behind clean energy.
Results & Exhibition Impact
The installation was a major crowd-puller at the exhibition, generating continuous participant interest:
Continuous Public Engagement
Kept pedal stations active non-stop with participants competing, cheering, and learning about clean energythrough kinesthetic, full-body interaction.
Tangible Energy Education
Effectively demystified energy generation metrics for both children and adults by directly connectingphysical physical exertion to electrical power consumption.