Sheepish Endeavors: My Interactive Exhibit

Museums are often thought of as haunted, and this is a large draw for many people. The haunted doll is often an object of curiosity and concern for museum workers and visitors alike. I want to validate those concerns by making my own "haunted doll" by placing a bunch of sensors inside a doll to get it to react to different stimuli, such as touch, sound, and being picked up. I am not going to pretend there is any historical value to this project; it is purely an experiment to allow me to test the limits of my technological abilities.

So here is my plan: My first objective is to secure a doll of some kind. As we are nearing St. Patrick’s Day, the stores are obviously full of adorable pink and yellow stuffed animals and chocolate eggs. I found this cutie at the Dollarama for a mere three dollars; he should prove to be a worthy test subject. I probably shouldn't have named him but I did; his name is George.

George the Sacrificial Lamb

If my experiments with George are successful, I may crochet myself a new doll for the final exhibition because I fear that George will be horribly disfigured by my experiments.

Now that I have secured my subject, I will have to cut him open and gut him to stuff some sensors into him (I will sew him back together later). I am going to start with an infrared distance sensor to try to get him to notice when somebody walks by, but I hope to incorporate a volume sensor, an accelerometer, and some touch recognition. I will attempt to use Max7 to accomplish the programming side of the project. If all goes well, I will create a frankensheep that will talk when you interact with it. *Now accepting suggestions for sheep back talk.*