Cat-Kinect
Building an interactive augmented-reality toy for my cat in Touchdesigner.
Node network in Touchdesigner
I had long desired to explore the possibilities of AR games for animals. I began by experimenting with 3D video calls on our family dog, gradually progressing to achieving meaningful interactions with my pet cat, Gizmo. The setup involves a projector and an Xbox 360 Kinect, with the Kinect facing the flat surface of the projection.
The setup
My first goal was to create a collision detection system based on the Kinect's depth sensor and moving objects. Using Touchdesigner's TOPtoCHOP I was able to achieve this without any coding. I used the mono color input of the Kinect TOP's depth sensor and the rendered image of the target objects. Connecting these inputs to a Comp TOP set to Multiply, with the Kinect sensor image set to first input, you get a texture containing only the union of the inputs. Putting this composited texture through the TOPtoCHOP and a Logic CHOP produces easy no-code collision detection.
First tests of collision detection (audio edited for clarity)
After successful collision detection with the Kinect, I started working on the interactive parts. I added a score counter and audio feedback for hits. Realising that these interactions don't give understandable feedback for my cat player, I also added movement modifiers. While working on the movement of the targets, I realized that my cat's attention span was remarkably brief (just like mine). To keep the game interesting I experiemented with different movement paths for the targets, deciding to use one based on FM synthesis frequency modulations. The targets consist of many fun shapes. I found that Gizmo enjoys chasing the default Touchdesigner banana with a red tint.
Kinect Toy in action, high-score: 56
