Step 1: Build the circuit
At first my partner and I followed the given instructions to build the circuit, but it didn’t work. We then checked the connection of all the cables and components but still got no idea about the problem. Finally we realized we connected the power supply to te 5v row on the bread board which caused the short circuit and killed the Arduino and USB protecter. Again I feel terribly sorry for that and will be more careful in the future.
Step 2: Build a cardboard mechanism!
After the long time we spent in building the circuit, our cardboard building task was a little hasty. We used the glue to stick the model paper onto the board and followed it to cut the board. We then used hot melt glue to build the machine and got a basic one by the end of the recitation.
Step 3: Personalize it
Our personalization part was still undone so we continued our work in 826. Impressed by the famous icon of The Rolling Stones which is a big red mouth and a tongue, I proposed we make it after the shape of the tongue. To imitate the movement of the tongue stretching out from the mouth and make it more exaggerated, we decided to add a piece of cardboard to lengthen the radius of the shaft adaptor. However, after using tapes to add the cardboard, the longer radius actually made the rotating link running wildly and slipping out of the track, looking like a disaster. So we rebuild bigger and longer side and top rails to reinforce it.
The part of making the mouth was troublesome in fact but also my favorite. I drew two drafts of the icon, one for the lips and one for the tongue. We tried to find paint and brushes but I have to say the brushes borrowed from ER stuck with congealed paint used like stones. The result was we actually used brushed as well as fingers to apply the paint.
Question1:
Chico MacMurtrie/Amorphic Robot Works, The Drumming and Drawing Subhuman,2000.
This installation attracted me initially because of the special appearance of the “subhuman”. At first, I thought this robot work is actuated by motors that are similar to the stepper motor we used in the recitation. But this is in fact a pneumatic robot, which uses the air pressure generated by impact or rotation as the power source to drive the mechanical expansion or rotation action. After searching information on google, I also learned that by making an adavantage of the compressibility of air, we can make the movements of the robot more flexible like humans.
Question2:
I’m still unsure about what to do for midterm project. But I’m wondering to show a piece of painting in an interactive 3D way, making appreciating art much more than just watching with eyes. For example, in Van Gohn’s work, I would like to use cardboard actuated by servo motors to imitate the rotation of the stars in the sky, or use threads and servo motors to move the stars up and down. I’m also considering about using distance sensor to control the LEDs.
citation: Chico MacMurtrie/Amorphic Robot Works, The Drumming and Drawing Subhuman,2000.