Kaboom! Concept and further refinement (Fabian and Zhou Yang)

Kaboom!

Initial idea and sketch

The idea is inspired by the traditional game catching. The catcher will wear shoes with red LED lights. The healer will wear shoes with yellow LED lights. The rest of the players will wear shoes with orange LED lights. All the shoes will have sound sensors attached to them. The catcher upon getting close to a player will stomp his/her shoes. If the shoes of the catcher and his/her victim are close enough, the sound sensors will be triggered. The LED lights of the victim will change. The healer can change the players that are caught through stomping his/her shoes near the affected players to “save” him/her.

Further development

After discussion, we decided to use slippers instead of shoes. We feel the use of slippers produces a more comical effect as compared to shoes. It adds to the fun in our proposed game. At the same time, we also decided to use light sensors instead of sound sensors to trigger the change in color of the LED lights. We realized if sound sensors are used there is a possibility of the catcher “committing suicide” by stomping his/her slippers near his/her victim. The sound he/she produced with his/her slippers will also trigger his/her own slippers. Therefore, we decided to use light sensors instead.

Interactive 2: Documentation and Progress II

21 March 2017

Concept refinement

Current project direction/idea:

Four players will interact with each other as well as the computer to create sound in a dark room. There will be a total of 4 computers, each with four colors corresponding to a certain instrument or beat. Players have to mover near to the computer to trigger faster beats and further to trigger slower beats. The player can switch lanes to trigger a different instrument on another computer.

Project prototyping

We will be researching on patches that can track colors to trigger audio output as a starting point for our project.

This is one of the videos we found on that talks about tracking specific color that will lead to sound.

*Update* We tested out the patch, and it works. The reading was not very accurate because there are a lot of surrounding light that affects it. Once we have a more refined patch, we will be testing it in a place that has limited light. 

28 March 2017

Project prototyping 

Once we get the color tracking system to work (hopefully), we will be exploring and experimenting with a different combination of sounds.

The following are some of the sounds we are looking into.

We feel that using everyday sound to create music is an exciting area we can explore.

Chinese classical music is another aspect that we feel is an intriguing area that we can work on.

04 April 2017

Project prototyping 

Finalize on the audio output. 

Recording of the audio output. 

Booking of room for the project presentation. 

11 April 2017

Final build

Project documentation.

User testing.

18 April 2017

Final presentation 

18 April 2017

Final OSS submission

Interactive 2: Documentation and Progress I

THE PURPOSE OF SOUND

For our project, we are looking into experimenting with sound. We feel that sound is an interesting element that we constantly overlook due to its abundance existence in our life. As sound is a non visual element, We feel that it is a favorable circumstance for us to use our other senses other that our sight which we so depend on, to feel and appreciate the spaces around us. In the process, we hope to gain fresh realization on our reaction of sound by our body. Therefore, we want to use this opportunity to have an interaction with sound free of any outside distraction. We want to find out about the significance of sound and its purpose in our daily life.  

The following are some videos that give a rough idea on the type of interaction we are looking into and hope to achieve.