{"id":503,"date":"2026-03-17T19:17:41","date_gmt":"2026-03-17T19:17:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/soulos\/?page_id=503"},"modified":"2026-03-26T18:53:29","modified_gmt":"2026-03-26T18:53:29","slug":"week-07","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/soulos\/week-07\/","title":{"rendered":"Week 07"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<p><strong>Halves Presentation<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p style=\"font-style:normal;font-weight:500\">This week we presented our halves milestone for SoulOS. Our goal was to communicate the core concept of a cooperative mixed-reality experience where players collaborate with a physical robot inside a crashed spaceship narrative. We shared updates on character design, environment direction, mapping the AR avatar to the physical robot, and synchronization between players and hardware.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Core Design Concerns Identified<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p style=\"font-style:normal;font-weight:500\">Several deeper concerns emerged from the feedback:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">1. Why Does This Experience Need a Robot?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p style=\"font-style:normal;font-weight:500\">Some reviewers mentioned that it is still unclear why the physical robot is essential . If the robot is mostly static or fully overlaid by an AR avatar, then why not make it fully virtual?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p style=\"font-style:normal;font-weight:500\">This question reframes our core design challenge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p style=\"font-style:normal;font-weight:500\">We need to design choreography between player and robot that:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li style=\"font-style:normal;font-weight:500\">Makes the physical presence irreplaceable<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li style=\"font-style:normal;font-weight:500\">Uses motion, proximity, and embodiment<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li style=\"font-style:normal;font-weight:500\">Justifies real-world risk, delay, and weight<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p style=\"font-style:normal;font-weight:500\">If the robot does not move meaningfully, the experience loses its uniqueness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>3. Robot Personality &amp; Relationship<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p style=\"font-style:normal;font-weight:500\">Another key piece of feedback was about defining the robot\u2019s identity .<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p style=\"font-style:normal;font-weight:500\">Is it:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li style=\"font-style:normal;font-weight:500\">Childlike?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li style=\"font-style:normal;font-weight:500\">Arrogant?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li style=\"font-style:normal;font-weight:500\">A blank slate?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li style=\"font-style:normal;font-weight:500\">A companion?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li style=\"font-style:normal;font-weight:500\">A burden?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p style=\"font-style:normal;font-weight:500\">We have focused heavily on interaction mechanics but have not fully defined the emotional role of the robot. Without this clarity, the narrative risks feeling disconnected from gameplay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Next Steps<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p style=\"font-style:normal;font-weight:500\">Build a stripped-down physical choreography test:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p style=\"font-style:normal;font-weight:500\">Robot moving in space<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p style=\"font-style:normal;font-weight:500\">Player moving around it<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p style=\"font-style:normal;font-weight:500\">No narrative, just motion study<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p style=\"font-style:normal;font-weight:500\">Redefine robot personality and arc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p style=\"font-style:normal;font-weight:500\">Present next milestone starting with:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p style=\"font-style:normal;font-weight:500\">A demo first, then next design and tech.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\" style=\"padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--40);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--40)\">\n<p class=\"has-text-align-right\"><a href=\"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/soulos\/week-08\/\" data-type=\"page\" data-id=\"509\">Week 08\u2192<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Halves Presentation This week we presented our halves milestone for SoulOS. Our goal was to communicate the core concept of a cooperative mixed-reality experience where players collaborate with a physical robot inside a crashed spaceship narrative. We shared updates on character design, environment direction, mapping the AR avatar to the physical robot, and synchronization between [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-503","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/soulos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/503","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/soulos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/soulos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/soulos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/soulos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=503"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/soulos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/503\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":566,"href":"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/soulos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/503\/revisions\/566"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/soulos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=503"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}