Follow Me Eyes (Melody)
Follow Me Eyes (Melody)
Do you always feel like somebody's watching you? If you do then its probably because you have the Follow Me Eyes (FME) for Smart Doll. Watch this video to first to see them in action so you can decide if they are cute or scary.
As the name suggests - the Smart Doll eyes follow you about and are always looking at you - unless you are looking at the back of their head - which would be kinda scary.
You can also use FME as a home security measure - just place a Smart Doll at your entrance with the eyes set and if a burglar tries to enter and sees the doll then there is a good chance they may run off - that is if they are scared of dolls in the first place. But if the burglar happens to like dolls then your Smart Doll may be the first thing that they run off with so be careful.
To make these eyes we had to calculate the refraction rate of light which determines the size of the pupil and how deep the eye print is placed within the eye - the result after many moons of trail and error is a rather spiffingly great effect that the team managed to pull off. Just have a look at the comparison photos on this page to see what I mean - although those photos make the default ones look like they are staring into space.
But! staring into space is good sometimes to reflect on how small we are in this universe - check out what Neil deGrasse Tyson has to say about it in his Cosmos series.
All Smart Doll's have soul but the Follow Me Eyes give them even more soul due to the depth. The Soulfulness is amplified due to the fact that they are looking at you. Photos now spring to life with energy and cuteness.
However! FME does have its drawbacks - apart from the price due to the fact that the failure rate is extreeeeemely high and that we can only make a limited number every month - you also need to have adequate lighting when taking photos as the eyes are brought to life through energy from the sun in a process called Photosynthesis. Ok I'm lying because I loved Cosmos but you do need good lighting or the eyes can look very dark. If you are taking photos close up use FME - if you are taking photos far away then use the default eyes that come with your Smart Doll or else the FME may look dark.
Smart Doll eyes are by default placed to look ever so slightly crossed - this is so that they appear to look at you which makes you go "OMG They are so cute I need one (or two))" - Ok this is not a lie - its a design aesthetic that we employ among the many Design Principles in Smart Doll Design.
However - when you replace the default eyes with FME then the placement *must not* (emphasis on the Must Not) be crossed as your Smart Doll will look incredibly not so smart. The eyes must be placed so that they are looking straight or they wont work. Smart Doll eyes are held in place by blu-tac which means you can change them easily - make sure no blu-tac is seeping out the edges.
FME are all hand crafted in our Tokyo office. There may be some blemishes in the form of air bubbles, specs or small scratches on the surface - if this is not cool then avoid this product.
Thanks to Lira from Germany who I met at Dokomi - she inspired me to make prototypes which turned out great and are thus now products.
スマートドールアイはもともと寄り目気味でセットされていますが、追視アイはまっすぐ気味でセットしてください。寄り目でセットしてしまうと効果がなくなります。3DSのあれみたいな感じですね。追視アイ効果が確認できる動画はこちら!
追視でより魂が宿るように感じます。しかしプリントは通常より奥行きがあるので明るい場所で写真撮らないと暗く感じるかもしれません。
追視アイは全て弊社の東京工房で手作りしています。気泡や不純物、小さな傷などは含まれているかもしれませんので、「いや〜」と思った方はご購入しないでください。