Project 1: Cooking Simulator
Basic idea: It walks the user through the whole process of cooking a dish
Research: I’ve found a video game that is detailed enough to meet my expectation of cooking. However, it is purely online and does not involve much physical interaction, which decreases sense of immersion. There’s also a cooking simulator that involves actual kitchen wares, but it only helps practice skills such as controlling the pan.
Statement: When one begins to learn cooking, especially dishes that require certain procedure and certain amount of ingredients, it is very likely that he does one step wrong and wastes all the ingredients. By walking the user through the whole cooking process without using actual ingredients and showing the result on screen, the user can learn cooking quickly and efficiently.
Project 2: Pet
Basic idea: Simulate raising a pet
Research: Currently I’ve only found toy pets, and net pets, and no design that connect actual toys and electronic interface yet.
Statement: This is a cute little game that helps children experience pet-raising. By simulating feeding, washing and soft touching the pets, children can learn what responsibility means regarding a life.
Project 3: Ready Player 2
Basic idea: A combination of online quiz and offline maze
Research: This idea comes from the Picasso exhibition I saw in Beijing, where a miniature was sold in the souvenir store. I think it could very interesting to make it interactive. Also, in the film Ready Player One, every VR player has to go through a maze and answer the questions correctly to get the key, which provides me the basic structure of my design. The project interactive garden gives me the idea of how to sensor the robot all along the way in the maze.
Statement: The project, combining quiz on the screen and an actual maze model, serves to educate people in a fun way. Only when all the answers are correct can the robot (controlled with the keyboard by the player) get to the end, when the treasure box (model) will open and the user get the prize inside.
I am also thinking about installing a camera onto the robot, and make it a museum miniature. The user can change the setting of the exhibition, and by controlling the robot around, see if the exhibitionis planned well from the viewpoint of the visitor.