Every once in a while you come across an example of the best sort of over-engineering. In this case it's a board game that we all know and love, tweaked to a level of perfection that none of us needs, but all of us can appreciate. The Prague Mind Sports Festival, a game focused event that begins Dec. 1, is introducing an RFID-equipped, LED illuminated Scrabble board with a carbon fiber base. Produced at a cost of some $30,000 the Scrabble board is designed to make what is arguably the world’s most famous word game even more social. The custom-built board can be read in 974 milliseconds, transmitting via unique software to online viewers who will watch the action in real time. To make the game really pop, the makers use nine RFID circuit boards and 225 RFID antennae, which read RFID-tagged tiles wherever they are on the board. The carbon fiber base, which well may have contributed to the price tag, is a bit of a head-scratcher. Given the weight of the rest of the materials, the developers could have probably gone with a cheaper material. But then again, it does add to the futuristic look, and the visuals here are worth at least 30,000 words. Image: Mind Sports International A Really Expensive Way to Lose at Scrabble
Every once in a while you come across an example of the best sort of over-engineering. In this case it's a board game that we all know and love, tweaked to a level of perfection that none of us needs, but all of us can appreciate. The Prague Mind Sports Festival, a game focused event that begins Dec. 1, is introducing an RFID-equipped, LED illuminated Scrabble board with a carbon fiber base. Produced at a cost of some $30,000 the Scrabble board is designed to make what is arguably the world’s most famous word game even more social. The custom-built board can be read in 974 milliseconds, transmitting via unique software to online viewers who will watch the action in real time. To make the game really pop, the makers use nine RFID circuit boards and 225 RFID antennae, which read RFID-tagged tiles wherever they are on the board. The carbon fiber base, which well may have contributed to the price tag, is a bit of a head-scratcher. Given the weight of the rest of the materials, the developers could have probably gone with a cheaper material. But then again, it does add to the futuristic look, and the visuals here are worth at least 30,000 words. Image: Mind Sports International 