Actuality and Artificiality

Stage four : Week Commencing 04.11.2013
Week (04)

Description

This week I have been working on implementing a lip mechanism onto the side of the jaw mechanism, Due to time constraints regarding other projects I have not tested the left - right jaw movement front he previous session.

Equipment.

1. Guitar Wire

2. Fishing Wire

3. Mechano Plate, Long (Bent to make semi-circle), 1 x long U bracket and 2x Smaller 3 hole brackets.

4. Metal connectors from Electrical Block (4.mm)

5. 1mm Heat Shrink

6. 2 x metal wire holders.

First of all I took the Long Mechano plate and bent it around the heel of a boot to create a semi-circle shape. I then attached the two smaller brackets at each end and screwed them onto the long U shape bracket and attached this to the side of the tilt bracket of the top servo. I then cut out the brass connectors out of an electrical block and using small screws and large metal watered attached the brass connectors to the Long bent Mechano plate. This would allow the fishing wire the be threaded through it to control the lip functions. I then attached the wire holders to the bottom of each of the smaller brackets. I then took the guitar wire cut it to size and on each end moulded some 1.mm heat shrink and threaded the circular stoppers off the end of the guitar sting wire back through the guitar string so I had two runners to attach the fishing wire to the guitar wire. This was then threaded through the wire holders and kept in place by squashing the metal holders with pliers. This fishing wire was then secured with knots to the runners and I was able to get a sense of how the lips would look if they had servos rigged up to them. 

After reflecting back over the project a day or so later I have decided that I do not need 3 points of articulation for the lip mechanism the impractiatly of fitting a third servo into the centre of the top mouth mechanism is unnecessary and this space could be used for other elements later on in the build. (1.1)

Feelings 

I feel that this session has been successful and I am happy with the progress that has been made even though I feel I could have done more this week, I am still concentrating on other on going projects also.

Evaluation

I feel this experience has helped bring in another element into the project as far a creating expression for the character, however I need to figure our where these extra elements sit in terms of relating them to the brief and how I envisage the final outcome of the project. 

Analysis

As the project sits making sense of all the elements in terms of its relation to the brief as a guide needs to be reassessed. The idea of this project is not to go too far off the rails as far as the animatronic as an object is concerned the simple stripped down nature of the object needs to remain intact in relation to the de-humanistic vision of the final outcome. 

Conclusion

In conclusion more could have been done this week in terms of thinking about how the piece will sit concerning the outcomes of the brief and relation to the philosophy behind the idea. I hope to clear these concerns up next week when I am preparing my first presentation of this project. 

Action Plan

If I was to re-do this session I don't think I would change that much concerning the build, but I would have put more effort into thinking about how I am relating the physical build to its philosophical written counter part. Next session will be about the philosophy behind the project and how it relates to my brief. 

1.1

These are examples of some of the mask prototypes I have drawn up using Z-Brush. I am unsure of what direction to go in with the theme at this current time so I am just experimenting using different textures and looking at possible materials.