Mixed signals are destroying your personal life? Don’t worry, a team of London designers have built the perfect “scanner”. Ripple is a dating gadget that can tell if a person is really into you or not #objectmagic
Four designers from the Imperial College London and The Royal College of Art have come up with a way of telling if a person is attracted to another in real life (as opposed to, you know, Tinder and the likes). They built a colorful wearable that looks just like a sea anemone to pick up “signals”. Worn on the shoulders, Ripple can tell if an individual is looking at the user with interest.
To enable such results, the team used sensors and computer vision algorithms that detect a special gaze. On-board cameras sense when others look at the user while computer vision determines interest, “building upon our own intuition.” If Ripple feels someone is attracted to the wearer, it uses its tentacles to give a ripple-like effect. “If the attraction is mutual then it’s tentacles will move in reaction to their gaze, amplifying the language of seduction between the two people”, explain the designers.
Once the wearer returns the flirtatious look, the gadget sends a tap on the chest. During the “staring contest”, Ripple will keep sending feedback, nudging you to make a move.
There are currently two prototypes; the first is manufactured using SLA 3D printed parts and tentacles made from laser cut printed acetate film, and the second uses bent wire and mesh plastic tubing with colored plastic inserts:
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