Avoiding Fictitious Black Cats with a Handheld Radar

Games like Pokémon Go have proven that augmented reality has mainstream appeal. It likely won't replace traditional video games and media experiences, but people clearly like the idea of getting out of their homes to explore the real world through gamification. In an effort to experiment with that idea through a lens of superstitious belief, Shashwath Santosh and Nithin Eluvathingal of Studio Kinky Kashayam built this portable radar system that guides users to avoid fictitious black cats.

Black cats are considered bad omens or at least unlucky in many cultures. In Western folklore, there is a strong association between black cats and witches — though the causality of that relationship isn't clear. Black cats even have positive connotations in some traditions, but this project assumes that the kitties are bad.

Except there are no actual felines involved. Like the Weedles and Rattatas in Pokémon Go, these cats are purely are virtual entities. When a user wants to "play," they start by telling the device their planned walking route. They then start their journey and the device monitors their location via GPS, as well as its orientation through gyroscope and magnetometer sensors. As the player walks, the device generates virtual black cats that shown up as blips on the simulated radar screen. It is a bit like that scene in Aliens.

The player's goal is to reach their destination without running into any black cats. That might force them to take an alternate route or even backtrack to avoid the fur balls.

The "radar" device itself has a boomerang shape with the screen in the center. There is a joystick and a few buttons, switches, and knobs that the player uses to interact with the device, such as when they set their destination. Santosh and Eluvathingal don't specifythe exact hardware components, but we do spy an Espressif ESP32-WROOM-32D microcontroller on the PCB. Power appears to come from an external USB battery pack.

Santosh and Eluvathingal didn't design this to be a video game like Pokémon Go, but rather as an experience intended to shine a light on superstitious ideas. In that way, it is more of an interactive art piece than a game built for entertainment. But even so, we think it could be fun to dodge dark kitties every time we go for a stroll around the neighborhood.