Team
2 Software Developers, 1 UX Designer
Date
January 2025 - May 2025
My Role
Project Manager Lead Programmer Product Designer
Industries
Entertainment, Social
Overview 📝
petsARus is an Augmented Reality (AR) entertainment platform inspired by classic virtual pet games like Nintendogs and Tamagotchi. The application allows users to spawn and interact with digital pets in their real-world environment using mobile devices.
We designed this app not just for entertainment, but to provide companionship for individuals facing loneliness, such as during quarantine, or for those unable to own real pets due to allergies or financial constraints. By leveraging AR, we aimed to create an immersive experience that lets users bring their pets anytime, anywhere. The application was built with Unity and Vuforia, and it uses Google's Speech-to-Text API to enable users to give their pets voice commands.
Watch the Demo 🎬
Problem❓
Many people desire the comfort and companionship that a pet provides, but face significant real-world barriers that make ownership impossible. This project aimed to solve these issues by creating an accessible digital alternative.
Approach 🎯
Our approach to developing petsARus was strategically guided by an understanding of the technology "hype cycle" and a focus on creating a viable, business-oriented product. Rather than forcing a utility concept where AR might not offer a clear advantage, we leaned into the technology's inherent strengths with the following principles:
Focus on Entertainment and Engagement
We centered our design on AR's immersive and visually engaging qualities to create a fun, entertainment-focused experience that provides genuine value to the user.
Foster Emotional Connection
A core part of our strategy was to design an experience that provides companionship and comfort, directly addressing feelings of loneliness that were especially prevalent during the COVID-19 lockdown.
Maintain a Business Mindset
Throughout the project, we consistently asked, "How do we make this app profitable?". This business-oriented approach informed our long-term vision, which includes features such as in-game currency and cosmetic customization, to create a sustainable and successful app.
Key Features 🧩
Outcomes & Impact 📈
While this was a development project without a formal user study, I achieved several key outcomes that demonstrate its success and potential impact.
What I learned 💭
This project was a significant learning experience in both technical development and team collaboration.
Team Collaboration 🫸🫷
I am very proud of the final product and our team's positive dynamic. We successfully combined our diverse skills in design, coding, and Unity development, and found that working together in real-time was incredibly effective for problem-solving.
Mastering Unity & Collaboration Tools 🛠️
The project offered a comprehensive exploration of programming in Unity and AR development. Our biggest technical takeaway was the critical importance of using the right tools for collaboration; moving to Unity Version Control was a game-changer that we will definitely use in future VR/AR/XR projects.
Future Roadmap 🔜
While the current build features placeholder menus for inventory and shops, our vision includes expanding petsARus into the Metaverse. Future updates would support multiplayer social interactions in a "virtual pet park" and an in-game economy for trading items and cosmetic customization.
