Flurry
Flurry is an educational digital tricycle developed by Italtrike, designed to combine physical movement, interactive play, and learning.
I worked on this project as a programmer, handling the video game and interactive components—specifically, the system that allows the child to control the game through pedaling, steering, and actions performed on the tricycle.
A tricycle that becomes an interface
The idea behind Flurry is to transform a familiar physical object—the tricycle—into a gaming interface.
The child does not interact with a joystick or a touchscreen, but rather with their own body.
By pedaling, steering, and adjusting speed, they send commands to the tablet and become an active part of the digital experience.
This relationship between movement and play makes Flurry a particularly interesting project: the body is not separate from the interaction but becomes its focal point.
Play, movement, and learning
In the Flurry project for Italtrike, play acts as a bridge between physical experience and the digital environment.
Children do not merely interact with a screen; they use their bodies as an active part of the experience, turning pedaling, steering, coordination, and reacting to stimuli into gameplay actions.
In this way, movement transcends simple physical exercise, taking on narrative and interactive significance driven by goals, visual feedback, and progression. Flurry thus operates in a “phygital” realm where the physical object and the digital system reinforce one another, fostering a more natural, participatory, and embodied form of learning.
My role in the project
For the project, I handled the programming of the digital component.
The main challenge was translating physical inputs—pedaling, direction, speed, and the child’s actions—into simple, intuitive, and responsive game rules.
Programming Flurry therefore meant building a bridge between body and screen. Every piece of feedback had to be clear, immediate, and suitable for a very young audience.
A phygital project
Flurry is a “phygital” project, as it connects a physical object to a digital experience.
The tricycle retains its tangible nature, centered on movement and coordination. The video game expands this experience, transforming physical action into exploration, goals, and feedback.
Why Flurry is important to my journey
Flurry was a significant project for me because it gave me a tangible sense of the value of my work. In this instance, programming wasn’t just about building mechanics, interactions, or digital systems; it was about contributing to an experience designed to help real children with movement, coordination, and learning.
One of the most motivating factors was knowing that Flurry could also be useful in rehabilitation settings—for children in hospitals or undergoing therapy. The code I was writing wasn’t merely making a game run; it was enabling an experience that could support children’s physical well-being, motivation, and engagement.
Knowing that my work could have a real-world impact fueled my enthusiasm. Every technical decision wasn’t an end in itself but part of a broader project where the video game became a tool serving growth, care, and the educational relationship.
That is why Flurry marks an important milestone in my journey: not only because it combines gaming, design, and technology, but because it showed me that game development can be something truly useful—capable of making a positive difference in people’s lives.
