Tap Tap an Ayiti

      Augmented Reality (AR) Cultural Experience


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Background
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Tap Tap en Ayiti (Tap Tap in Haiti) is anAugmented Reality Experience made inUnity. It features a small colorful truck, which is the tap tap. The truck is set on an island scene with grass and palm tress and clouds just above it. The user can interact with the tap tap in play mode by using the boxes up top to control its direction. Once the image target is recognized, a popular Haitian song called “Zouk...” by the band Kassav plays while you drive the truck around.
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Inspiration
My inspiration for this project is tied to my cultural heritage. I am Haitian-American and I have so much love for my father’s home country, however, so little is known about Haiti’s rich culture and prolific history. Often times,Haiti is portrayed in the media as violent, catastrophe plagued, and unruly, but there is so much more to Haiti than these negative depictions. When I think of Haiti, I think of a beautiful island with an  incredibly powerful history, having been the first free Black Republic in the world. Haiti acted as a pioneer and comrade to revolutions for independence across Latin America. When I think of Haiti, I also think of the delicious food I grew up eating and the music. For this project, I wanted to show my view of Haiti. One of my   favorite memories from visiting Haiti is riding in Tap Taps. Tap Taps are brightly painted trucks that you can tap to hop on and pay a dollar to go where you need. Riding in these you can see so much of a city, hear the music and smell the food. It is a very communal experience.
         

AR Experience Components

Using 3D assets, I rendered the scene in Unity using a pre constructed truck, trees, grass and clouds.I manipulated the grass, trees and clouds to my liking, based on shape, size and patterns. Lastly, I programmed the truck using to move by clicking on directional cubes at the top of the scene.

         

Final Experience