Using Space Trash to find Solutions
A team of undergraduates, including software engineering major Jonathon Oestringer '25 and computer science majors Jaylin Pigeon '25, Robby Johnson III, and Caeden Kidd, helped bring the video game Space Trash to life. The game is transforming how researchers study motor control by turning data collection into something surprisingly engaging.
Much more than a video game, Space Trash is a neuroscience research tool created by faculty and students across various disciplines at Tech—Psychology and Human Factors, Computer Science, and Kinesiology and Integrative Physiology—along with the University's Health Research Institute.
On the surface, the game feels like a high-energy challenge. Players use two paddles controlled by PlayStation Move motion sensors to knock away falling shapes while avoiding others. The speed escalates. New object types appear. Precision and reaction time become everything.
Behind the scenes, each swipe and split-second decision is unobtrusively recorded. The game tracks reaction time, hand dominance, motor adjustments and accuracy, giving researchers a detailed picture of a player's motor behavior.
Read more about how researchers at Michigan Tech helped turn a fast-paced game into a powerful research dataset.
