L
larwe
- Jan 1, 1970
- 0
I'm going a bit crazy trying to work out how a marketing gizmo
operates. Would appreciate any thoughts!
My local supermarket just installed a small Pillsbury promotional
freezer, roughly cube shaped, and about four feet on each side. On the
side it has the doughboy, and a word bubble that says "Hear me
giggle!". I naturally assumed there would be a microswitch on the lid
triggering a speech module, or maybe a light-gate triggering when you
reach in.
However, it's much, MUCH more subtle than that. If you open the lid,
nothing happens. The thing only giggles when you touch a product inside
the freezer. However, not ALL products trigger it. The freezer contains
mostly cinnamon buns and biscuits, which come in a foil-coated
cardboard tube with steel ends. If you touch one of the metal ends, the
giggle starts. If you touch the tube part, it might or might not start
giggling, depending on whether you touch a shiny part or a printed
part.
There happened to be a non-metallized cardboard box of frozen pastry in
the freezer also; handling that box, picking it up, moving it about,
etc. did not trigger the voice.
The inside of the freezer is all plastic, so I don't think it operates
by making the contents one plate of a capacitor. My best guess is some
kind of microwave motion/prox sensor, but I'm damned if I can work out
the details.
operates. Would appreciate any thoughts!
My local supermarket just installed a small Pillsbury promotional
freezer, roughly cube shaped, and about four feet on each side. On the
side it has the doughboy, and a word bubble that says "Hear me
giggle!". I naturally assumed there would be a microswitch on the lid
triggering a speech module, or maybe a light-gate triggering when you
reach in.
However, it's much, MUCH more subtle than that. If you open the lid,
nothing happens. The thing only giggles when you touch a product inside
the freezer. However, not ALL products trigger it. The freezer contains
mostly cinnamon buns and biscuits, which come in a foil-coated
cardboard tube with steel ends. If you touch one of the metal ends, the
giggle starts. If you touch the tube part, it might or might not start
giggling, depending on whether you touch a shiny part or a printed
part.
There happened to be a non-metallized cardboard box of frozen pastry in
the freezer also; handling that box, picking it up, moving it about,
etc. did not trigger the voice.
The inside of the freezer is all plastic, so I don't think it operates
by making the contents one plate of a capacitor. My best guess is some
kind of microwave motion/prox sensor, but I'm damned if I can work out
the details.