Proposal #1: Dodo

Title
Dodo


Abstract/Clarity of Idea

An interactive application that allows user to 'visit' Dodo bird. The user's avatar in the virtual environment will be able to interact with the Dodo bird there.

Target Audience
18 - 25 years

Goal/Problem Statement

1. What is the goal of the whole application?

To allow users to 'meet' with the Dodo birds that have been extinct. This would enable users to get a glimpse of how this ancient bird and their habitat looked like, also perhaps recognize the similarities that these birds had with the current birds of similar kind we have now, and notice the evolution, and appreciate the current living species of birds that we have now.

2. What is the application trying to solve? (problem statement)

Dodo birds are extinct, they are slowly being forgotten. We have birds now that are currently endangered, facing extinction. We need to appreciate them while they're still around.


     3.  What is the advantage of VR that can be exploited to enhance project

This interactive application would allow users to see their form, the environment they had as habitat, their simple behaviours (their movements, how they react when approached by humans during their time, etc). It is obviously impossible to happen in the real world because they're no longer around. This application intends to nurture the feel to appreciate the animals that we have now, upon seeing the extinct animals before their eyes. So people won't let it happen again, so the future generations won't be seeing a red panda as a computer graphics generated image, but as living mammals that they are now.


      4.  Is this project new or has it been created before? If yes, why are you doing it again?

Similar kinds of interactions with current living animals have been created (see Sniff: an interactive projection, though, and Kinectimals), but there are no records yet on the concept of interacting with extinct animal species.


*note: I got the idea to create this application after seeing Sniff, the video was posted on the FCM's Aesthetic Media blog.

Objectives

• to allow users to see and meet the bird which is now history
• to enable users to interact with the birds
• to make the users feel some kind of relationship with the birds
• to make users appreciate the current living animals we have now
• subtly instill some kind of guilt in humans, perhaps be more responsible in treating the current endangered animals species
  
  
  

  

  
  

Benchmarks

Sniff: see video

(interaction, BUT with the user's avatar in the virtual world, NOT with the user in the real world)

Kinectimals
(again, interaction, much much much simpler interactions, BUT with the user's avatar in the virtual world, NOT with the user in the real world)

Level Description

2. What will happen in levels
   
   
   The Dodo bird will be on the screen, random movements (walk aimlessly etc) until a user walks in front of the screen. The bird would be hesitant at first, when user tries to approach it. If the user moves slowly, then the bird would be more likely to remain calm and let the user comes closer to it. Moving too aggressively, the bird will move away from user.
   
   
   Assuming that this application actually allows user to treat the Dodo bird as pet, user would be able to feed the bird with fruits from the berry bush inside the virtual world. 
   
   
   Dodo bird's extinction was not caused only by humans, but also other animals that existed during that time. For example, pigs, they caused most damage to Dodo birds. They destroyed Dodo birds' nest and ruined the possibilities of the birds to have a future. 
   
   
   There will be a point where a number of pigs would come into the screen and try to destroy the bird's nest. User will then have to chase the pigs away by picking up a branch in the environment and shoo the pigs away.
   
   

3. How will users interact with the application

User's movements will be detected by the IR camera, and therefore the animals' reactions towards users would be based on the proximity/collision between the user's virtual character and the animals/objects in the virtual environment.
 

Interaction description

• users will be able to 'touch' the bird
• users will be able to make the bird follow them
• users will be able to feed the bird
• users will be able to 'save' the bird by chasing the pigs away from the environment

*note: currently in the middle of testing openFrameworks, if i can't get it to work in one week's time then i'll change this into an educational application that uses conventional keyboard and mouse as input devices. interactions remain similar, probably more extensive (shall create a new proposal on that if openFrameworks doesn't work)