‘Catwalk’, the world’s first machine learning AI feline jaguar, tells the story of Adaptive Dynamics technology in Jaguar vehicles - literally what makes a Jag feel like a Jag.

Created for the Paris Auto Show and using the personification of the car as the cat, this brand-new interactive real-time experience epitomised the ethos of Simple Human Interaction.

Designed with two main stories in mind - the agility of the feline jaguar, compared to the handling and feeling of driving a Jaguar car, and the reactions and speed at which both Jaguars respond to the world / road around them. Establishing a hero emotional moment - something that surprises and delights players – was also key, to ensure that players felt that the cat was aware of, and reacted to, them.

Keeping in mind the final installation would need to cross borders and speak to different cultures, gaming strategy was implemented to create fun and engaging interactions between the activation and the player. WRNCH.AI, the deep learning algorithm, was used to ensure the activation became more accurate over time, meaning the activation will continue to develop as it tours globally.

Capturing the player interactions and gestures was vital. The activation needed to be able to capture a variety of motions that were the triggers for the cat to react. A series of hand gestures were registered via a camera to trigger certain audio cues and behaviours from the AI Jaguar. Real-time audio was outputted through a 2.1 speaker setup and the roars of the Jaguar specifically designed to garner attention from passers-by, essential in a very noisy environment.

GCRS produced a soundscape that made the player want to step into the digital world, and soundFX kept them alert and intrigued. Blending F-Type engines with jaguar roars, adding snarls, growls and even ear flicks to make the cat seem alive. The spatialisation and distance algorithms of all the sounds were finessed to ensure users experienced accurate positioning and depth of the jaguar as it freely roamed.

Recognising the installation as a moment in time that guests would want to share, a moment of illusion was created where the cat, behind the screens, in its digital habitat, walked off screen and as if by magic the cat was augmented walking back into shot in front of the screens, to walk around the player. The cat had to have a personality, so 50+ facial expression combinations were programmed in. A final roar and logo lockup completed a video souvenir as well as an immediate printed takeaway. A few clicks to comply with GDPR and an email later, the HD video was uploaded to Facebook allowing easy sharing and engagement.

The reaction and results have been extremely strong with just short of 3,000 unique players on the Jaguar stand at the Paris Auto Show. Each visitor received a personalised email and 70% clicked through to their personalised Facebook video. This gave Catwalk a reach (taken October 2018) of 29,913, 2,458 Facebook reactions, 492 comments and 21,282 video views. A great result highlighting the experience reaching out much further than just the Paris Auto Show.