Bodily Ping Pong

Pong Prom is the design that Ed Keeble developed for an art project with the goal of creating both a competitive and collaborative experience for two game players. The project uses the Lilypad Arduino platform, which is a microcontroller board design that controls game play, the display, and communication between devices. Embedded in the specially designed hoodies, at strategically located points, are patches of conductive fabric sewn on the shoulders, hips, and shirt cuffs which communicate with the Arduinos. The game paddle is controlled via an accelerometer attached at the back of the neck and activated by rocking back and forth with the participant’s partner as if slow-dancing.

Watch the video to see how the couple’s bodies are transformed into an interface to play the game of Pong.