We thought about a Chucky-like doll which followed you with it’s head (first sketch). It would have several ultrasound sensors around it, and when one was activated it head would turn towards that position. Though the idea seemed cool, we thought probably the doll head’s movement wouldn’t be as fluid since it would depend on the amount of sensors around the doll (sketch #2). We also though we could use the ml5 library with Posenet to detect body movement, but we quickly threw away the idea since it would require a camera and would be harder to control if several people were to get close to it.
It quickly became clear how we should control the detection, how to make the “user” maneuver through space how wanted them to. Right away we thought about how instead of making something detect a person passing by, we might as well make the user go straight to the action point. Reflecting on how cool a cardboard box filled with satanic puppies might look (as usual), we decided to take a more human-focused approach and simulate dead babies instead. Puppy skulls aren’t that easy to get a hand on.
Anyways, we let the idea settle for a while. And then, out of nowhere, came Keanu Reeves.