We’re starting a little side project, thanks to the trackers HTC have sent us!

The VR tracked pet! (/small child)

It’s a two part project, one part code, another craft. The aim is to give players a warning of unpredictable pets/children when they enter the space, and the potential to of course – actually see their companion in games.

We need to make sure the device can be removed very swiftly from not so patient cats / dogs, and safely come off if it gets really caught – but at the same time, stay on for the average rolling around and sleeping a pet may do. Fortunately the tracker itself is VERY light, so is perfect for this kind of fabric hacking.

Very early prototype seems to work great! See the photos below for our quick cat hack.

Edit: This has taken off a little more than expected!

We’re a 4 person studio, most of which are based in the seaside town of Bude, in Cornwall, UK. Day to day, we make VR games. We’re better known for the BAFTA nominated game, Unseen Diplomacy.

At Triangular Pixels, all our employees have cats. In fact, there’s four of us, and four of them. Interesting, there’s a 50/50 gender split in both humans and cat workers!

Mine and John’s is the test subject though, a 10 year old male.

You can see him getting into trouble during our Unseen Diplomacy playthrough ‘trailer’ (~5 mins in)

I’ve modded a Cat Jacket I had for him. His jacket is an excellent fit, with nice wide bands keeping it on, meaning less pressure on his under legs. He also can’t get out of it! Lovely design by Mynwood Cat Jackets.

As for the mod, I’ve used elastic cord for now. This allows me to slip it on and off and it stays in place. It doesn’t cover any of the sensors, so has purrrrfect tracking.

John’s busy making the app as I speak – but it’s already starting to take shape. Shows how wonderfully easy it is to make your own tracked objects (or living creatures!).

If you would like to help us – you could donate towards develop and material costs! Either use our PayPal button below, or send us via paypal.me/TriangularPixels











Thank you!

Tags: Cat