Electric Power Flow Modeling in Minecraft

The goal of the project is to enable the creation and use of realistic and accurate virtual reality models of electric power transmission, distribution, control, and usage scenarios for research and instruction purposes. To do this, we have created a Minecraft mod called Electric Blocks.

= Problem Definition = Our project is defined by several problems. The core issue is to develop software that allows users to model electrical power flow. The software must model power flow realistically enough to enable quality education and research. Additionally, the software must work in a virtual video game environment and must be easy to use.

Background
Minecraft is a 3D/VR video game that enables the creation of complex virtual worlds. The block based nature of the game makes it very easy for players to build nearly any structure. This approach has made the game very popular and also easy to modify. There are thousands of mods which do everything from adding new animals to flight simulators and much more. There are several mods that exist already which try to mimic power flow. Unfortunately, these do not model electrical systems and their operation/control in a way that is realistic enough to enable quality research and education in power systems. That is why we made Electric Blocks.

Value Proposition
Traditional tools used in the design and simulation of electric power flow networks require a highly technical understanding of power flow behavior, and are not readily accessible to learners due to their complex interfaces and results that are not easily interpreted. Our solution, Electric Blocks, is a Minecraft mod to attract those who are interested in designing and playing with power systems through the simple and familiar interface of Minecraft.

This project's value is primarily derived from its speed and ease of use. Electric Blocks works great as an educational tool as users can build simple power systems in mere seconds and get feedback. This project also has value for power flow engineering. This mod allows for engineers to work collaboratively in real-time to prototype and test power flow systems.

= Design Process =

Validation
= Development Timeline =

Core Challenges
= Team Info = The team responsible for this project is called Electric Blocks. We are based in Moscow, ID and we are sponsored by the University of Idaho. For more info you can check out the links below:

Website: https://electricblocks.github.io

Github: https://github.com/electricblocks

Portfolio: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/16nPXUH02bscp351xhRZSQRMSa27I0osg?usp=sharing