Stage (20) Week Commencing (19/05/14)
Week 32
Final Reflection (Sessions Ends 23.05.14)
:This is going to be my last entry concerning the reflective aspect of the blog, however I will continue to post any further developments up to the final degree show.
To start this session I would like to reflect on the project as a whole, analyzing key elements and factors that cropped up both during the developmental and production stages of the build.
Week 32
Final Reflection (Sessions Ends 23.05.14)
Application
One of the major concepts of this project concerns is it's future application outside of the gallery or exhibition space. I believe that the build would be suitably placed inside a museum setting, the Eliza script could be adapted to emulate the personality of any person in history and the data base could hold unique and in-depth information regarding that individual. This concept would add an extra dimension to museum displays: by having life like animatronic elements that can not only interact with people but respond to unique questions and track and follow peoples movement may bring museam displays to life. The current framework could also be improved via implementing voice recognition technology instead of a keyboard interface, this may add further realism to museum displays, but further research into this proposition is required.
Time
Time has always been an important factor during this project, with family and work obligations my natural studying or building regime is between 8 – 1
o’clock at night. This of course was an element of the time scaling that was out of my hands and
is something that had to be worked into and around the project. As the final hand-in for the project was Thurs 22nd of May, I asked myself the question what else could I have achieved in this time-frame, what did I set out to achieve that i didn't and what could I have done differently.
What else could I have achieved in the time frame ?
With the time-frame for the project having to be put on hold for 8 weeks during my dissertation module coupled with student finance issues and personal obligations. I feel that it was hard to get back on track and keep with the original time scale, so the project did suffer. However, alot was achieved within this time frame, the results of which met the standards and primary objectives I set at the start of the project.
What did I not achieve that I would of liked to ?
One of the key aspects that I really would have liked to of expanded on was the use a of global referencing/tracking system. The idea was to create a tracking system that could identify people at a distance and track their moment, then when they moved closer to the project the robot would enter a new mode that would be more engaging and would say hello or ask a question, then on final approach would go into its normal functioning. This was not achieved because of time issues concerning learning how to implement a complex tracking system into the project. The technical ability required to create such a system in the short time frame is out of my current range of abilities and even though I did research and find some useful blogs and videos I just did not have the time to sit down and learn the processes thoroughly enough to use them effectively.
What could I have done Differently / Additionally ?
If I had the option of starting the project over again, I would have certainly spent more time on the aesthetical side of the project. One of the main issues I had with the build is that some parts of it look rough e.g the milliput and mechano elements. I feel that if I had of taken a different approach and tested different materials such as themoplast instead of milliput and hand made aluminum brackets instead of using steel mechano sections that a higher standard of finish may have been achieved.
A further idea concerned creating a torso with working arms and claws, at the start of the project I purchased a robotic arm kit that came with aluminum servo brackets and a claw. I believe these would have been perfectly suited for creating the mid to upper torso for the robot. However this idea was not pursued due to issues with time and further costings.
What else could I have achieved in the time frame ?
With the time-frame for the project having to be put on hold for 8 weeks during my dissertation module coupled with student finance issues and personal obligations. I feel that it was hard to get back on track and keep with the original time scale, so the project did suffer. However, alot was achieved within this time frame, the results of which met the standards and primary objectives I set at the start of the project.
What did I not achieve that I would of liked to ?
One of the key aspects that I really would have liked to of expanded on was the use a of global referencing/tracking system. The idea was to create a tracking system that could identify people at a distance and track their moment, then when they moved closer to the project the robot would enter a new mode that would be more engaging and would say hello or ask a question, then on final approach would go into its normal functioning. This was not achieved because of time issues concerning learning how to implement a complex tracking system into the project. The technical ability required to create such a system in the short time frame is out of my current range of abilities and even though I did research and find some useful blogs and videos I just did not have the time to sit down and learn the processes thoroughly enough to use them effectively.
What could I have done Differently / Additionally ?
If I had the option of starting the project over again, I would have certainly spent more time on the aesthetical side of the project. One of the main issues I had with the build is that some parts of it look rough e.g the milliput and mechano elements. I feel that if I had of taken a different approach and tested different materials such as themoplast instead of milliput and hand made aluminum brackets instead of using steel mechano sections that a higher standard of finish may have been achieved.
A further idea concerned creating a torso with working arms and claws, at the start of the project I purchased a robotic arm kit that came with aluminum servo brackets and a claw. I believe these would have been perfectly suited for creating the mid to upper torso for the robot. However this idea was not pursued due to issues with time and further costings.
Ongoing Issues
An on-going Issue with the project concerns maintaining the robot, I found out that if left to stand for more than a few days without careful maintenance the different mechanisms can stick or cease up. This is still an issues and is a process that has to be continued until the problem is resolved.
A further key issue concerns using cheap servos that I
had shipped in from china, these are extremely temperamental and easily burnt
out or stick during operation. The reason for buying cheap servos was on-going
financial issues with student finance, I feel that this was unavoidable and I did everything I could
at the time to resolve these issues. However the servos still remain part of the
robot and are still burning out and sticking. Daily testing and maintenance appears
to be the only way of ensuring these motors run efficiently.
Philosophy
Although I spent alot of time researching the philosophy of 'A.I' from Descartes to Chomsky, I feel that I did not demonstrate these ideologies enough through-out the project. Writing a 2,500 word research study is not the same as been able to creatively express such views to a wide audience. However, I hope when it comes to the final show I will be able to strengthen some of those aspects by engaging people face to face and openly discussing these ideologies.
..............................................................................................................................................................
Final Weeks Session
Description
This weeks session is focused on the final phase of the project before hand-in. The session started via filming the robot in action, I set up in the dining room and just tried to get the robot to run a few simple phases like following objects and speaking a few phrases (1.1). This worked really well and in review I decided to leave the footage raw and unedited, I choose the tune Nannou by Aphex Twin for the video because it has been one of the pieces of music I have played the most thought the project. (1.2). However, I am still having power issues when it comes to running all the servos off the one Arduino board so things like the lip servos did not have enough energy to run at the same time as the rest of the servos. I have resolved this issue via getting a higher amplitude power supply at a customized 6v 4A unit but I am having to wait for that to be shipped from overseas, hopefully these elements will be all working together by the time of the final show.
I then tried to get some quicker more snappier shots of the project by filming outside. However, there was issues with the footage`;it was a busy day and I was getting alot of audio interference from people walking and talking along the headland, high winds, seagulls and general car noises (1.3 - Unedited). I also tried to film against the white wall of the cottage but i was having issues with the focus on the camera and I am not sure if it was due to light reflecting off the surface of the wall. These edits where never made into a video because of issues with ever depleting time scehdule before hand-in, however I will include them in this blog for the sake of referencing that i did experiment using multiple approaches during the final filming stages. (1.4) (1.5)
Feelings
I am very happy to have handed all of my work in, I feel this weeks session although it was rushed went well. I do not quite know how to feel about the final show at the moment, in terms of how the project will sit within the exhibition and what people will think about it. But I believe the robot is running and performing at that best it ever had done.
Evaluation
This session was an interesting experience, I had the pressure of trying to finish this project off and also the other modules and only having a day and night to film and edit a short video of the robot working. I only had a couple of hours sleep per night as I was trying to make sure everything was ok with what I was handing in, but then when you are tiered out you make silly mistakes so it would not surprise me if I get pulled up on a few errors here and there. I do not feel like the final rush of work was anything to do with poor planning, I believe its a normal part of the finishing stages of any large project 'final push'.
Analysis
The current stage of the build id say personally is at about 99% complete, all the elements now work and the new power adapter meaning the servos operate simultaneously. I only say 99% complete because I am still coming up with ideas and resisting the urge to tinker around with stuff.
Conclusion
In conclusion I am happy that I managed to hand in all the work I needed to hand in. I feel that alot of hard work has gone into this project and I would like to thank my family for giving me the time to get on with the project when I needed to especially in the building stages of the project that were normally quite messy and took over a lot of space. I also have my tutor to thank, without his help and time and demonstrating how different scripts could be implemented in the project I would not have been able to of achieved such a high standard of control over the robot.
Action Plan
The action plan is to have a break from work for a few days and spend it on the beach with my family and relaxing, I have my viva on the 30th so I need to plan the script for that using the research study. Then I will start thinking about how the installation will sit at the final degree show, and possibly further exhibitions.
Philosophy
Although I spent alot of time researching the philosophy of 'A.I' from Descartes to Chomsky, I feel that I did not demonstrate these ideologies enough through-out the project. Writing a 2,500 word research study is not the same as been able to creatively express such views to a wide audience. However, I hope when it comes to the final show I will be able to strengthen some of those aspects by engaging people face to face and openly discussing these ideologies.
..............................................................................................................................................................
Final Weeks Session
Description
This weeks session is focused on the final phase of the project before hand-in. The session started via filming the robot in action, I set up in the dining room and just tried to get the robot to run a few simple phases like following objects and speaking a few phrases (1.1). This worked really well and in review I decided to leave the footage raw and unedited, I choose the tune Nannou by Aphex Twin for the video because it has been one of the pieces of music I have played the most thought the project. (1.2). However, I am still having power issues when it comes to running all the servos off the one Arduino board so things like the lip servos did not have enough energy to run at the same time as the rest of the servos. I have resolved this issue via getting a higher amplitude power supply at a customized 6v 4A unit but I am having to wait for that to be shipped from overseas, hopefully these elements will be all working together by the time of the final show.
I then tried to get some quicker more snappier shots of the project by filming outside. However, there was issues with the footage`;it was a busy day and I was getting alot of audio interference from people walking and talking along the headland, high winds, seagulls and general car noises (1.3 - Unedited). I also tried to film against the white wall of the cottage but i was having issues with the focus on the camera and I am not sure if it was due to light reflecting off the surface of the wall. These edits where never made into a video because of issues with ever depleting time scehdule before hand-in, however I will include them in this blog for the sake of referencing that i did experiment using multiple approaches during the final filming stages. (1.4) (1.5)
Feelings
I am very happy to have handed all of my work in, I feel this weeks session although it was rushed went well. I do not quite know how to feel about the final show at the moment, in terms of how the project will sit within the exhibition and what people will think about it. But I believe the robot is running and performing at that best it ever had done.
Evaluation
This session was an interesting experience, I had the pressure of trying to finish this project off and also the other modules and only having a day and night to film and edit a short video of the robot working. I only had a couple of hours sleep per night as I was trying to make sure everything was ok with what I was handing in, but then when you are tiered out you make silly mistakes so it would not surprise me if I get pulled up on a few errors here and there. I do not feel like the final rush of work was anything to do with poor planning, I believe its a normal part of the finishing stages of any large project 'final push'.
Analysis
The current stage of the build id say personally is at about 99% complete, all the elements now work and the new power adapter meaning the servos operate simultaneously. I only say 99% complete because I am still coming up with ideas and resisting the urge to tinker around with stuff.
Conclusion
In conclusion I am happy that I managed to hand in all the work I needed to hand in. I feel that alot of hard work has gone into this project and I would like to thank my family for giving me the time to get on with the project when I needed to especially in the building stages of the project that were normally quite messy and took over a lot of space. I also have my tutor to thank, without his help and time and demonstrating how different scripts could be implemented in the project I would not have been able to of achieved such a high standard of control over the robot.
Action Plan
The action plan is to have a break from work for a few days and spend it on the beach with my family and relaxing, I have my viva on the 30th so I need to plan the script for that using the research study. Then I will start thinking about how the installation will sit at the final degree show, and possibly further exhibitions.
Schematics
(1.1)
(1.2)
(1.3)
(1.4)
(1.5)
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