In Cookie We Trust

A reinterpretation of a fortune cookie in new media. As opposed to an actual cookie, it divines your fortune by analyzing your facial features using artificial intelligence.

In Cookie We Trust, the final outcome

Project type

An interactive window display

My role

Interaction design, physical design, mechanical engineering and fabrication

System and experience timeline

System and experience timeline

Interactivity

We wanted no external inputs like a smartphone. A capacitive touch sensor on a larger copper plate conducts through 1 inch thick glass, concealed by a hand cut in mirror acrylic.

A webcam hidden amongst the clouds fired with the thunder animation, so faces were well lit. Microsoft Azure analyzed the faces and Unity displayed a matching fortune.

CNC milled skeleton of the cookie

Fabrication

Engineering the cookie

The core challenge was a giant cookie that was as convincing as a cookie, and could withstand repeated opening and closure.

I designed the skeleton in CAD, milled the pieces on a CNC and assembled the frame. It was cut in pine wood with pockets to keep it as light as possible.

Frame clad in wire mesh
Chicken wire over the frame

Next step was to clad the frame in wire mesh and chicken wire.

The cookie was then mounted on the back wall with a 3/4 inch axle and a bearing. At this point it was only for testing the mechanism.

The structure was cladded in spray-on foam and sanded down. Natural air gaps added to the visual appeal of a baked cookie.

It was painted in two tones, with a slightly darker shade on the periphery to create the illusion of burnt edges.

Linear actuator on the back wall
Monitor and Arduinos behind the wall

On the back of the wall we mounted a lever on the axle and connected that to a 12" linear actuator. The back also housed a monitor and three Arduinos for physical interaction.

Installation

Installing from the inside out

It took 2 days and several hours of work. The challenge was to plan the sequence from the inside out, as there was only a small entry point to the window.

Cookies and clouds inside the window

We wanted thousands of actual cookies at the bottom, so we covered it with leftover corrugated boxes and black cloth to add some body. A small webcam was hidden in the clouds and a vibration speaker amongst the cookies.

The final window