Week 4 Progress

    It is now week 4, almost halfway through our project timeline, and much progress has been achieved! The actual construction of our animatronic is in motion. As the preliminary alterations to prep for the final model is occurring, measurements are simultaneously being adjusted. The messy sketch from the previous week now has numbers to go along with the images, though the scale is not entirely accurate. Further detailed measurements have to be thought up in the future. Also, our lead programmer is now in the midst of coding a program for our animatronic to function the way we intended. In addition to these advancements, some alterations to the original design might be needed to improve the ease of construction and practicality. Further information about this can be found below.

Objectives

• Initiate the build phase of the project
• Find out what is left to buy
• Set measurements for components

Build Phase Start!

    The construction of our animatronic is finally starting! Most, if not all, of the materials necessary for making the skeletal frame are gathered. The piston was assembled and tested for its practicality, which turned out to function amazingly! Since this is the first session of actually construction our creation, the majority of the work were preliminary adjustments to our materials (i.e. cutting the wooden board, sawing parts of the mannequin head off, etc.). During the next lab session, more work will be done in assembling the animatronic.

What is left to buy?

Pneumatic Press

Speakers

PVC Pipes and Joints

Improved Measurements and Sketch for Design

Figure 1: Left Side View of Animatronic Device's Design

    Figure 1 depicts what the design, at the current time, will look like. The measurements are set and the general pieces are known (e.g. metal support, piston, hinges, etc.). In this design, the framework consists of a metal support that moves by the piston. The metal support is connected to the body of the animatronic device and will tilt forward, allowing the animatronic device to swing forward and do a lunge motion.

Figure 2: Top Down Left Side View Design with Details

    Figure 2 reveals a more detailed image of how certain parts of the design are going to be made. This sketch specifically depicts how the hinge connecting the animatronic device's body with the contraption that propels it forward is planned out. This design might not hold in the future if a better solution to move the animatronic device is found.

New Ideas and New Model Adjustments

    Originally, the piston was designed to propel the animatronic forward to replicate a lunging movement. This design was brainstormed with the idea of speed and power. Though this idea was great on its own, a better idea is to scrap the lunging motion and just have the animatronic rush forward instead. A rough sketch of the new idea is shown below in Figure 3. The cross where the animatronic device's body will slide forward and backwards along the two parallel bars. This design will lesson the costs of the project and maximize the power outputted by the piston. The only concern with this change is the lack of two motors, which is one of the constraints of this project.

Figure 3: Potential Idea for Lunge Movement

Week 3 Progress

    During the lab session on week 3, the detailed design of our animatronic was sketched. We worked through the minute details of the animatronic device's movement and worked out where the joints would be located. Some bigger movements were under revision due to the uncertainty of its usage. The main point of this session was to gather up the materials to start building the design in next week's session. While most of the essential parts were gathered, smaller components for design still need to be acquired, such as the hinges, speakers, and wires.

Objectives

• Form a Materials List
• Create a Detailed Sketch of Design

Materials List

Gathered:

Piston

Mannequin Head

5" PVC Pipes (3)

Wooden Platform

Mask & Costume

Thin Metal Rods (2)

Need:

Hinges (5)

Small Speakers

Wires and Circuits

LED Lights

Sketches

Figure 1: Rough Sketch of Current Design
with Potential Features

    Above, Figure 1 depicts a rough sketch of the structure of the body of the animatronic device with the integration of the piston. Overall, it can be seen that the basic structure consists of a platform and a center pipe that will hold the shoulders and the head. the shoulders and arms will also be made of pipes as well. Currently, ideas for how the head will be made are being discussed.

Week 2 Progress

    For the second week of our project, our group completed the project proposals for the two main components: the body and the head. Our project timelines were optimized to make the most logical sense to follow. In the prior week, only ideas were thrown out without substantial backgrounds and methods to go about them. This time, the team wanted to create a more solid picture of our design, going in depth about the materials, the actual internal structure, and feasible measures.

Main Objectives:

• Plan out the overall function of the animatronics
• Determine materials used

Materials

    Our list of materials so far are as follows: PVC pipes, servo motors, steel or wood, speakers, LED lights, wires, Arduino micro-controller, piston, carbon fiber, and potentially more items.

• PVC Pipes [o]: Creates the base framework of the animatronic.
• Servo Motors [o]: Enables the animatronic to move and rotate as needed.
• Steel or Wood (potentially): Reinforces the framework.
• Speakers: Produces a noise to satisfy the sound requirement.
• LED Lights: Lights up the eyes and fulfills the light requirements.
• Wires: Completes the electric work.
• Arduino MicroController: Allows Arduino to program how the motors operate.
• Piston [o]: Enables the animatronic to lunge forward quickly.
• Light Gates: Sensors to detects presences when people moves through the light beams.

    Because we are still finalizing a list of materials, we do not have a set date for when they arrive. The materials that are provided to us by the Innovation Studio (e.g. Arduino microcontroller, wires, speakers, LED lights, etc.) do not need to be delivered. The items and materials that do need to be ordered will have a mark ([o]) next to their name in the list above.

Detailed Description of Animatronic Device Design

    We decided to scrap the idea of making the nun animatronic tilt forward. The tilt is too slow and does not exude eeriness. Instead, the animatronic will lunge forward via a piston. The piston allows quicker movements than a servo motor and handle a larger weight than a single motor. Because we are switching to the piston, we do not need a plate to break the fall of the animatronic, which is only necessary if the weight is too heavy for the servo motor to stop the lunge movement.

    The arms will not make clawing motions anymore since applying continuous force on relatively weak motors will lead to a quick breakdown of the functionality of the arms. Therefore, they will simply be moved to a different stationary position then reset to its original setting.

    We were thinking about using a mannequin to shape the body, but we scrapped the idea due to the sheer amount of work that is needed to hollow the mannequin. We would rather create a skeletal frame from scratch and drape the costume over it. When we make the skeletal frame, the animatronic will, at the base, be a T-shape structure with a V-shape design underneath to support the shoulder areas, depicted in Figure 1. There will be small motors on the shoulders, at the top ends of the T, to move the arms. How this design supports the weight of the arms had yet to be discussed. We just know that, by following this design, we have to make the arms light. The height of the animatronic will be between roughly 5'1" and 5'9". The PVC pipe for the spine has to be at least four feet while the "collar bones" pipes will be between one and a half feet and 2 feet. The sensors that trigger the animatronic could potentially be light gates, as those are provided by the Innovation Studio.

Figure 1: Rough Sketch of the Initial Animatronic
Device's Framework

Week 1 Progress

     The main purpose of this week's group time was to settle on a solid concept for this design project. Various ideas were brainstormed with the main goal of creating an animatronic that fulfilled the project requirements. Ideas such as creating a creature coming out of box or moving along a track with great speed were scrapped due to its complexity and the project's limited time period. In the end, it was decided that a nun with an animated face and rotating arms would be suitable for this project. Along with brainstorming, two groups were merged to create the two main components (the face and the body) for the final, composite idea. Then, roles were assigned to each member based on his or her skill sets and experiences, though these positions might vary as the project progresses.

Inspiration

    Taking inspiration from the 2016 horror film The Conjuring 2, the group wanted to design an animatronic similar in style to Valak's nun form. The sheer tension from its gaze delivers the shock factor that the team wants to achieve for the design project. If the eyes were to gradually shine with an ominous red light in the background of dark lighting, the scare factor would increase by at least twofold. With some additional decorations and creativity, this idea could definitely be scary enough to incite screams.

Initial Idea

     The nun will be standing in position towards the audience. Once a sensor has been triggered, its head will rotate in a 360 angle. As its head moves, an LED light in its eyes will fade in, exuding a creepy mood. It pauses in this position for a few seconds before lunging at the audience and screaming while moving its arms in a clawing motion. As the animatronic moves, its face will warp into a different expression, possibly having its eyebrows move and mouth open. The group is currently not sure of the parameters for the animatronic to reset, however, this will be solved as the project progresses.

Group Members:

Goldy Cubacub
Team Leader

Jonathan Lane Jr.

Lead Design Builder

Catherine Nguyen
Lead Design Keeper

Charlie Pratt

Lead Arduino Programmer

Morgan Sharinn

Lead Design Builder

Tianna Williams
Lead CAD Designer

Jacob Schumacher
Lead Arduino Programmer