Roadmap

In the future, to see this as a real exhibit piece, the product will need to improve in its presentation. Mounting the mirror on the wall would bring more realism to the project as well as present it better. This can be done in areas where the walls are stronger, rather than the foam core walls used in our exhibit. The screen can also be better integrated with the rest of the mirror to not seem like it is an actual screen. This could be done using reflective film, or by making the entire mirror a large screen with film on top to make it seem like a mirror. An open challenge is finding a way to hide the camera so that the mirror appears to be more real. Currently, we have placed the camera above, but it might be possible to drill a hole in the actual mirror and hide the camera behind it. Research will need to be done in order to find out the best way to hide the camera.

In addition, the room of the exhibit should be connected with the interaction. We hope to see an experience where users walk up to the mirror, and instead of just the screen going grayscale, the lighting around also turns white and starts to flicker. Through this, we want to make the user think they are looking into the past. In addition, we want to incorporate audio into this project. Instead of just showing images from before, it would be interesting to also play audio using a surround sound speaker setup from a few seconds ago. Building this immersive experience would involve figuring out how to connect different devices, including a microphone, speakers, lighting, and the mirror itself.

To achieve this in the next 12 weeks, finding a new place to do the exhibit would be the first step. Ideally, it would be in a real, isolated room with strong walls, customizable lighting, and the ability to embed speakers in the room. Then, basic tests of connectivity with the room would need to be conducted. After this, the program will need to be modified so that it can trigger these devices to change and play different things during the interaction. Doing this will enable us to scale up the project while keeping the core functionality the same.