Postbot

two space workers, one tangled mission

Welcome to PostBot - the last intergalactic Post Station. You and your teammate are our last-minute fill-ins at the last space delivery station.

Your job: build custom robots to deliver forgotten mail to strange and demanding planets. Are you ready to save the galaxy's postal system?

PostBot is a local 2-player Mixed Reality game combining real-world cable connections with digital feedback in passthrough VR.
Players must build and deliver three robots using logic, teamwork, and physical interaction.
The core mechanic: connect physical stations with magnetic cables - but be careful...
one wrong part and you might compromise your whole mission.
See your robot take shape in mixed reality.

Our Concept

The theme of PostBot developed gradually through iteration and testing. While our core mechanic — physically connecting cables to stations — stayed consistent from the beginning, the narrative and overall aesthetic evolved based on player feedback, clarity issues, and the desire for a more charming and light-hearted tone.

In early concepts, we explored abstract themes like energy routing, machine repair, or even musical connections.

After discussing different ideas, we thought about using the cables as a virtual kind of “assembly line” and started imagining the cables as part of a system that transforms something. That led to the idea of building robots — tangible, visible outcomes of the player’s effort.

To bring the game world to life, we moved from rough early sketches to more detailed and polished designs.
These sketches show the three different robots players can build, as well as various accessories that adapt the robots for different planets and delivery challenges.
One finished art asset illustrates how the final look and feel of the game combines charm, humor, and clear visual feedback.

Our Game

Welcome to the Intergalactic Postal Station!
The previous workers are on lunch break and three urgent deliveries were forgotten. Your sift starts now: Build custom mailbots for alien planets using shape, color, and item combinations that match the target planets.
But beware: each of you only knows parts of the mission.

This is how you do it:

There are 5 physical poles which means 15 stations in total. Each pole has shape, color, and item. If you and your mate can find the correct combination by connecting the stations through the wires the robot is constructed.
Each delivery is a small puzzle with you having asymmetric information about the planets.
Let the shift begin, build the PostBots one by one and see them come to life in Mixed Reality.

To realize the wire mechanic, we designed a system where the wire ends and the stations connect precisely using magnets. Each rope end contains an RFID tag that is read by a reader inside the station.
We designed and 3D-printed all physical parts: the double stations (top and middle level), the single station at the bottom, and the rope ends for docking.
In the final design, we refined the shape for a better fit and less material use, then moved the magnets back outside and secured them with epoxy resin to maximize magnetic strength.
The rope ends evolved similarly: we improved the grip for comfort and made the docking part larger and more stable so it stays upright when attached. Like the stations, their magnets were moved outside for stronger connections.

We set up our five fully wired wooden pillars and added a roof structure that connects each pillar with its neighbors.
One single beam runs across the entire play area and holds two important elements:

The start rope, which is tied to the beam on one end and has a docking connector on the other. Players use it to make their first connection to a station.
The hook, which acts as the finish button. When players have successfully built a robot, they pull the hook to signal that they’re done.