Very late: I am posting these unedited photographs and short video clip of the final result! Stay tuned for the final, edited documentation – which will be posted in the coming weeks!
Movement tests
Manually:
How I was moving the eyebrow
Digitally:
final forms
clay face, plaster mold, silicone cast over varaform
varaform (the places that will have motion placed on them have no varaform)
fixing the varaform with a heat gun (to smooth it out, adhere multiple pieces together, and get it to mold better)
final varaform piece
laser cutting my supports!
prototype test
(late post, from Dec 3)
findings and thoughts:
-This definitely reinforces my idea of using a support between the servos and the silicone
-I need to raise the three servos on the bottom
-The thread attaching the servos to the rubber was too taut so it was pulling the face altogether instead of individual parts of the face (that and of course that there wasn’t any support in place)
how the prototype was attached
communication tests from Nov 19
(late post)
It works! Thanks Alan for all your help in the code!
Alan moving his arms to affect the motors (at this point, the code simply was: when the left hand is higher than the right, move the motors to n position; when the right is higher than the left, move motors to t position
motors moving in response (each one was given a specific position to move to)
a glimpse of the code and Synapse at work
the final forms begin to appear!
clay face
plaster mold
Project updates!
Communication (Kinect/Synapse, Processing, and Arduino): Thanks to Alan, as of November 19th, the code is working! Communication from a person’s movement to the motors’ movement is a go!!
Motors: I now have my six motors! I need to mount them on a back support model (see previous prototype images) and calibrate them so that each moves in a desired manner.
Face: I am sculpting what I hope will be the final form of the face. I just got a new batch of silicone to mix and make a mold of the face from. Thoughts: last time my process was: made face out of clay, made plaster mold of face (using gauze), poured silicone mix into the negative of the plaster mold and pressed the positive clay face into that (so I pushed out the excess and got a “hollow” negative). However, the silicone positive came out too thick. The following are ideas I’m thinking about for making the silicone “mask”:
- make a plaster gauze positive mold from the clay face as well as a negative (using plaster of paris); pour silicone into negative, displace excess by pushing in the gauze positive
- include a pour spout; brush on rubber over the clay face (create a rubber mold), cover that in plaster; create a positive plaster piece….then when casting the silicone, pour it into the “two part” mold
- simply brush the silicone directly onto the clay face in a uniform and neat manner
Servo support/backing: I am using balsa wood for the prototype, but it’s been pointed out that that method may not be strong enough for the motors. What else should I use and how should I cut out spaces to sit the servos in? Acrylic, plywood? Laser cut?
And of course, I need to put it all together and test out the duration and behavior of the piece on its own (and the separate components together), and then have folks interact with it to observe what adjustments I should make.
Building Prototype (continued)
The “sketch” for the manner in which the servos will be supported. For the final piece, I will lasercut the balsa wood and fit the servos inside.
Building another prototype
Strips of aluminum foil, Varaform, and buckram
Foil over the mask
buckram molded over the mask
varaform molded over the mask
sections of the face
sections of face sewn together
method 1
method 2 (with bias tape)
varaform face and sewn latex face
Findings:
– Varaform is stiff and tough but it is still somewhat flexible, seems great for support…will it be flexible enough to move (also things to consider: how will I connect the servos so that they can move the “skin” properly? should I segment the support material, so that it is used sparingly and in specific parts?)
– Buckram is very flexible but will it be enough to support the latex?
– The segmented latex face is not winning me over, I will see how it behaves when the servos move it. I am considering making it one whole silicone face for the final instead of sewing together parts of the face. The sewn face is probably a result of my lack of sewing/stitching skills. I did research how to properly use bias tape (it is used for “sealing” edges of fabric – ex, neck lines on t-shirts, edges of bibs, and around the edges of sleeves or the arm holes of a shirt if sleeveless). I did it differently though (put it on the inside and used it to join two pieces together).
plans plans plans
Richelle Vargas, Creative Process Journal 