There’s a skit from one of comedian Bill Hicks’ standup routines that goes, “People come up to me and say, ‘What's wrong?’ ‘Nothing.’ ‘Well, it takes more energy to frown than it does to smile.’ ‘Yeah, you know it takes more energy to point that out than it does to leave me alone?’” Which basically sums up how annoying it can be when you’re forced to have fun or smile.But we could all do with cheering up every now and then. The stresses of the modern world and all that—my default facial expression in any city is pretty much a permanent scowl. So step up We Are Matik’s Smile-Bot which, they say, was built “to instill a sense of happiness in those around it.” And, being a giant wooden structure with holes in its belly it acts like a pied piper for kids, beckoning them to put their faces in the holes (as they would do a railing) to “encounter a glimpse into the home planet of the Smile-Bot.”Smile-BotAnd the enchanted land that lies withinBy looking into the world inside and smiling people can trigger different reactions from the installation. From changing the colors of the wooden robot’s face to making sounds. And like a gamer unlocking easter eggs, if four people show their happy faces “Ultra-Smile Mode” is activated with lights, sounds, and a rainbow. You can’t get happier than a rainbow now, can you?As the group explain: “Quirky sound-effects and interactive features (a mini-smile screen), as well as the natural occurrence of looking at other people’s faces from within the bot add a quirky, awkwardness that create an environment where participants can’t help but smile.” Maybe they should install these as mandatory at train and subway stations for commuters across the world. Or maybe they’d just get vandalized and destroyed by rage.And there’s also a certain cat that might benefit from having this installed in its home…@stewart23rd
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