The goal of this project is to make a chess board which will move pieces autonomously in response to voice commands and physical inputs. One of the problems the automatic chessboard will address is the obstacles that players with physical disabilities face at chess competitions. In this scenario, players have to interact with chess pieces in a timed environment, which can be difficult for those with motor disorders. By allowing players to make moves by using their voice, instead of relying on a human buffer, all parties involved achieve a smoother gaming experience.

Research combined in-person and online interviews, competitive product analysis, patent review, and technical literature to define the direction of an automatic chessboard. Feedback from UCSB's Chess and Robotics Clubs, along with Chess.com coordinators, shaped key product needs, technical features, and target applications. Researching existing products like Chessup and Chessnut helped benchmark functionality and market positioning.

Based on these insights, three core concepts were prototyped: moving pieces with an electromagnet and permanent magnet, piece detection and identification with RFID hardware and Hall Effect sensors, and preliminary piece design. Testing showed that both permanent magnets and electromagnets can reliably move pieces, Hall effect sensors outperform RFID for identification, and viable design parameters for chess pieces were established. These results informed a development roadmap focused on building a full gantry system, developing control software, and integrating all subsystems into a functional prototype.

Below are images from over the course of the project as of the time of writing.