Meicen Zhou

Pounce

「Remote Embodied Play for Indoor Cats 」An interdisciplinary hardware and software project. POUNCE upgrades the passive pet camera into a mobile-controlled, gamified, and cross-spatial interactive system, using projection-based visual stimulation to provide independent activity and play for indoor cats. The interaction loop is a continuous cycle where motion detection triggers an automated play session, allowing the remote owner to seamlessly take manual control via a mobile joystick until the cat "catches" the light, which then prompts a food reward and a cooldown period. The technical connects a mobile web frontend via HTTPS to a TouchDesigner, which processes real-time inputs from a webcam and the cat's wearable to dynamically drive the projector's visual output.

“This project began with my cat, who sleeps almost all day whenever I am away. After speaking with friends and surveying other pet owners, I realized we shared a common frustration: existing pet cameras only let us watch, leaving us feeling helpless and disconnected from our companions. Through POUNCE, I aim to explore how technology can bridge physical distances through meaningful, gamified interaction. By tapping into a cat's biological drive to chase unpredictably moving light spots, I hope to bring a deeper sense of shared joy and vital environmental enrichment to both indoor cats and their humans.”