Prototyping! I helped build and concept a couple robots for a Hot Pockets pitch. They were a hit, but in the end, Hot Pockets wasn’t hot enough to pick us, or maybe they didn’t have deep enough pockets.
@HotPocketBot
The idea was to set up microwaves in the wild. If you saw one, you could tweet at it. If you tweeted hard enough, it would make you a Hot Pocket.
Thought up by Kate Carter and Zack Roif, I convinced the team we could bring a microwave to life. I vetted a bunch of vendors, and awarded the majority of the development to Mark Kleback. I was the single point of contact between Mark and the rest of the team, and co-directed this demo vid.
1-900-HOT-POKT
I made a Hot Pocket Chatbot for a 1-900 number that gave callers a taste of what it’s like to interact with a real Hot Pocket. Comps by Steve Torres and Neil Lopez.
Our Hot Pocket Bot doesn't answer the phone anymore, but this is the TwiML code I wrote to control the conversation. Imagine it read in the voice of a female Stephen Hawking:
<dialplan name="Root">
<menu maxDigits="3" timeout="2000" name="Menu1">
<play type="tts" voice="female2" name="Choices">
Hello, I am a hot hotpocket.
Press 1 to take a bite of me.
Press 2 to peel off my sleeve.
Press 3 to nibble on my crust.
</play>
<keypress pressed="1" name="choose1">
<play type="tts" voice="female2" name="chose1">
Oh. You took such a big bite of me.
I taste delicious.
</play>
</keypress>
<keypress pressed="2" name="choose2">
<play type="tts" voice="female2" name="chose2">
Whoah. Check out the curves of
my crispy, golden, crust.
</play>
</keypress>
<keypress pressed="3" name="choose3">
<play type="tts" voice="female2" name="chose3">
Ooh ooh Ah. Enjoy my flaky outer shell.
Please nibble on me again sometime.
</play>
</keypress>
</menu>
<goto name="replayMenu">Menu1</goto>
</dialplan>
<dialplan name="Root">
<menu maxDigits="3" timeout="2000" name="Menu1">
<play type="tts" voice="female2" name="Choices">
Hello, I am a hot hotpocket.
Press 1 to take a bite of me.
Press 2 to peel off my sleeve.
Press 3 to nibble on my crust.
</play>
<keypress pressed="1" name="choose1">
<play type="tts" voice="female2" name="chose1">
Oh. You took such a big bite of me.
I taste delicious.
</play>
</keypress>
<keypress pressed="2" name="choose2">
<play type="tts" voice="female2" name="chose2">
Whoah. Check out the curves of
my crispy, golden, crust.
</play>
</keypress>
<keypress pressed="3" name="choose3">
<play type="tts" voice="female2" name="chose3">
Ooh ooh Ah. Enjoy my flaky outer shell.
Please nibble on me again sometime.
</play>
</keypress>
</menu>
<goto name="replayMenu">Menu1</goto>
</dialplan>
