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