Mechanix is an NSF-funded research project being developed at the Sketch Recognition Lab and led by Matthew Runyon. I assist the project with UI / UX design and front-end development. My mockups helped us get our current grant and I am continuing to flesh out nuances of the user experience. As a sketch-based application it is a unique challenge to design for.
The premise is that instructors can create statics problems and have their students solve them by drawing the diagram and solving for forces, just as they would on paper. Through sketch recognition, we can provide real-time feedback and guidance to assist users as they solve these problems. Sketching is a natural modality for solving statics problems so this application supports that natural approach.
