This past weekend was the second field test for Project Catgirl. Last fall, I took the ears out for a spin around downtown Boston, but the battery pack didn’t survive my brisk step and being attached to my hip. Now the power source is worn on a harness around the chest (right under my bra strap), and the switches can be easily accessed through the fabric of my sweater. If the electronics crash, they can easily reset by the press of a button (as opposed to ruffling blindly up my skirt).
I was surprised at how quickly I got accustomed to wearing a set of robotic ears. I didn’t receive any direct feedback on what the ears were doing, but I was aware, vaguely, of their activity by whirring noises in my ears whenever they move. They were easily assimilated as part of my wardrobe, but they were also independent enough, I address them as separate entities.
I commented on how “the ears” don’t find Newbury Street interesting, because I was there all the time so there was nothing new that caught my attention. Visiting Coolidge Corner, however, was very exciting for the ears, especially since there were many new things to see at Good Vibrations. Familiar actions were also uninteresting to the ears. Though I considered myself being very attentive when applying makeup, the process is so practiced, the ears didn’t consider it a very interesting activity. Only new environments and behaviors, stimuli that require me to process new information, excited the ears This is no surprise since the NeuroSky headset measures mid-range beta waves, which are associated with active concentration.
The next prototype will have smaller leather ears with fur to cover the gears. Right now, the ears are large, bulky, and the cloth covering catches as the ears rotate. There is also talk about many other changes to the power source, but that is still further down the road.
