Final Stages p.t 1. (Will update frequently over the next few days and post final annotated scripture)

Thesis: Submitted !! I have not posted anything over the past few days as I have been working non stop day and night. I even ended up sleeping in the library for a couple of nights to work on the corrections and alterations suggested via my tutor. It is such a relief to get this sent in and printed out. It was a bit of a slog trying to find a binder that would fit the thickness of my thesis but in the end the guys on reception managed to find me a few XXL binders. I had to do the binding process myself and I have to admit I was falling asleep whilst waiting for the machines to heat up and cool down. I realised after printing that I had left a couple of blank pages in the thesis that I am not completely sure how they got there. Maybe in my delusional state I missed some printing errors that produced blank pages. Regardless I have decided to leave these pages in as if I try and remove them there is no doubt in my mind that the whole thing will most likely fall to pieces. I have also given the printers a run for their money too as I had to fill up the paper draw a couple of times during printing.

I also decided at last minute that I would print out a copy for dad as he has really supported me though out my studies and helped me through the tougher times of this degree.

Model: Finished---ish !! The robot is not totally complete and I have had a successful full system run which turned up no nasty surprises. I have included a video in this post which shows everything working together in harmony. When I first turned it on it all went a little crazy but it turned out that the batteries had run down so I was experiencing some minor malfunctioning and delayed system reaction. I charged the batteries over night and the animatronic worked spot on the next day. I still think this is the best way to power all of the servos as if I run everything from the mains it will restrict certain functions as I will need to lay addition wire and in all honesty the robot as enough wires. It makes the pgr room look like a spiders web at times.

Robot Testing:

Hands complete, trigger system allows for specific finger functions or multiple replication of movement via control panel. This element is super cool and I have enjoyed letting people play on it as it seems to attract anyone who walks by. The System itself is not fully operational, the Eliza chat bot works fine with my adaptations and trigger words. The Kinect sensor is running perfectly and the speaker set up is really loud and clear, I like the tonality of the voice of the robot as it is quite authoritative.

Feelings: I am really pleased with how this session has turned out, it means so much to see the character come to life and have people interact with it. I have had some great comments about the robot from fellow M.A students so it really pushes me on to get my presentation sorted and deliver a really good performance at viva.  

Evaluation: As far as the thesis is concerned I am really pleased with how it has turned out, I think so much has gone into this project that to sit back and see the end product of a years worth of hard work is just the best feeling in the world. However, I am not out of the woods just yet as I have to prep for my viva examination due to take place in Jan. I have plenty of time to prep for this and I would like the robot to actually take over and present part of my work for me. I was thinking of using the voice rec function for this if I have enough time to test the system, ill know more about that when I get my date through. I had an idea for doing some story boards for Aldous and maybe even making a comic book strip so it kind of puts him into some sort of visual context within a theatrical sense. 

Analysis: The current situation of the project is almost nearly all finished !!! there is still a few minor bits and pieces to sort out but the bulk of the work is done and its feel amazing not to have that hanging over me anymore. 

Conclusion: In conclusion this project has had its ups and downs, luckily more ups than downs and it has been a real pleasure to be able to conduct my research, interview some of the most prominent individuals in animatronic special effects, robotics, Hollywood and educational institutions. I am very privileged to have been given the opportunity to conduct this work with the scholarship backing of the university. I hope I have met all that was expected of me..so far. 

Action Plan: The Action plan is to enjoy Christmas and take some time off over the holidays. When I come back i'll get right to work on my presentation and put together some bits that I have been working on in flash and power point. I want this to be a really interactive viva so there will be lots of work still ahead for that...but for now !" Adios !!! 

7.12.15

Thesis: I have submitted my thesis to my tutor to check that I have achieved everything that is required for submission. I will then hopefully have a bit of time to make any changes that need to be implemented. My submission date is 31.12.15 but I am aiming to submit before Xmas as it would be nice to have Christmas without stressing about getting all my work in the day before new years. I do think this is a bit of a strange time to have a hand in date, it is going to be massively busy on the trains and everyone will be in new years mode. 

Animatronic: As you can see in the pics Aldous is now in uni, I still need to attach some bits and pieces that I have not had chance to fit yet like the banks of switches and the right hand. I will be staying over with friends for the next few days so I will hopefully be able to finish all these parts and move on to the programming pretty quickly. 

Feelings

I am very happy to have the Aldous at uni, as far as I am aware my viva is going to be happening early Jan so its really important that I have everything up and running for then. 

Evaluation

There is still a bit of work to be done before I can put my feet up and enjoy Christmas, the right hand is stil in bits in my bag so I will put these together at my friends house tonight and get it fitted onto Aldous in the morning. The banks of switches I may make a start on after getting some food as I think the PGR is still open till 11pm at the moment. I will have to check with reception on my way out but if this is the case I will stay on for a few more hours and get this element fitted.

Analysis

The situation of the project makes sense, it is a bit strange seeing Aldous in uni and I am worried that he may get knocked or someone takes a dislike to him and decides to give him a punch or two. I made a sign asking people not to do this but god knows what will happen over the Christmas period whilst i am away. The again I may be becoming a bit protective of this animate object ! or maybe the process of animation has in some way given the character life in my head. The other thing I need to do is fit the speakers that arrived the other day, they are still in boxes shoved in the bottom of my bag so need to have a look at them as see if they need putting together in any way. I may take these for my friends to examine as they are all music students and may have some ideas on placement to get the best sound out of them.

Conclusion

In conclusion this is a very exciting / nervous session, I am right on the edge of things and that is where everything happens good or bad its going to happen regardless. I aim to get the whole character finished in the next 4 days as then I need to travel home and back to work for a few days. I seem to be clashing with everybody else's deadlines too as uni is really busy at the moment and people keep popping in and out of the room only the be confronted by Aldous, I wish I had my video camera with me to capture this as its quite entertaining to watch. 

Action Plan

The action plan is to finish the robot and do any corrections that need to be done to my thesis, wish me luck and see you on the other side. 

27.11.15 Getting there now !!

Thesis: I am now at the proof reading stage and I will be spending the next week or so doing this. I also have to show my thesis to my tutor as a requirement of submission to make sure I have covered everything and met the requirements set out by the university. 

Model: The robot is about finished structurally. I need to finish off the right hand as you can see in the picture but I have kept all the forms I used for the left hand so technically if I just flip them upside down I should be able to get a workable frame for the right hand. The arm is rigged with all the required servos and they are terminated into the splitters, switches and servo shield. I have tested this system and it works in parallel which is a bit of a relief as anything that goes wrong at this stage is going to have a massive knock on affect. 

I am going to be taking the robot over to uni this week so I need to break him down into transportable parts and make sure that he can be assembled easily at uni as I will be carrying a lot with just the body of the robot along without adding tools ect into the equation. 

Feelings: I am very happy with how things have turned out this session, the robot is looking great if not a little bit terrifying but I think that is all part of his charm.

Evaluation: The other thing I need to mention is the neck mechanism, this is the same type of aluminium rotational base that I used in my earlier project. The bonus of using this base is that I know how to put it together and strip it down at the drop of a hat as I had to lean to do this in my last project as the kit came with only chinese instructions. The other good thing about the unit is that it has all the holes pre drilled to match the standard hole dimensions on the other brackets. Is is also the same colour and material so it keeps in with the aesthetics of the piece. I have ordered some small portable speakers that I can place into the body form of the robot. I went for wire connections instead of bluetooth as I think it will be simpler when connection it up to the audio trigger. It would of been nice to have a couple less wires hanging from the robot but I do not have time to test if the bluetooth idea would work so with time ticking this is the safer option of the two.

Analysis: The current situation of the project makes sense to me, I now had a massive 7ft tall robot standing in my living room which of course scares the hell out of guests. However, my children seem to have fallen in love with him and are sad about him having to go away and spend some time at uni.

Conclusion: In conclusion this has been a massively important session, the robot not stands as an almost complete structure (right hand) but just seeing it standing in its full form is amazing. I really think he has a ton of personality and I think this is shown by how much my kids have become attached to him. I have decided to call him ALDOUS after the English Philosopher Aldous Huxely, I have been steadily reading 'The doors of perception - heaven and hell' over the past couple of week in my spare time and I really think Aldous was onto something with his work. The idea that we are conditioned to see only superficial, surfacial fragments or what we call reality is in all a coping mechanism. Aldous through drug experimentation managed, in his own way to see behind the curtains as it was, and what he saw was more akin to computer code or patterns. This underlying mechanism is what Aldous perceived as structuring the universe, the real REAL behind the perceived real... It has a big impact on me

Action Plan: Get the robot over to uni and start programming asap. Deadline is only a couple of weeks away, everyone is massively busy with Christmas so its time to knuckle down and get this done !!!

Prototype Control System: Complete

This is the documentation for the custom animatronic control system:

Hardware:

Arduino
Wires
Servo
R.C Control
2 x Relay
Potentiometer

Script:

#include <Servo.h>

Servo myservo;  // create servo object to control a servo
                // a maximum of eight servo objects can be created

int pos = 0;    // variable to store the servo position
int sensorValue = analogRead(A2);

int mouthmode=1; //this is remote control      2 will be auto control
int targpositionservosensor=0;
int currentpositionservosensor=0;


int outcount=0;

void setup()

{
  Serial.begin(9600);
  myservo.attach(A0);  // attaches the servo on pin 9 to the servo object
  pinMode(10,OUTPUT);  //turn OFF for user control --- remember to turn the other off (first)
  pinMode(11,OUTPUT); //turn OFF for arduino control  --- remember to turn the other off (first)
  myservo.write(90);

   digitalWrite(11,HIGH);
     digitalWrite(10,HIGH);
     delay(50);
}

//insert old script for mouth controls in mode 1. Use I pod output for audio trigger instead of laptop. set time for interval
//between audio off to relay back to mode 2.  
//  

void loop()
{
  if(mouthmode==1){
    digitalWrite(11,HIGH);
     digitalWrite(10,LOW);
 
   currentpositionservosensor=analogRead(A2);
   targpositionservosensor=analogRead(A2);
   outcount++;
   if(outcount>20000){
     Serial.println("going into mouthmode 2");
    mouthmode=2;
    outcount=0;
     digitalWrite(11,HIGH);
     digitalWrite(10,HIGH);
  }
  }

  if(mouthmode==3){
     digitalWrite(11,LOW);
     digitalWrite(10,HIGH);
      Serial.print("Targ:");
     Serial.print(targpositionservosensor);
      Serial.print(" Current:");
       Serial.println(currentpositionservosensor);
    if(targpositionservosensor>currentpositionservosensor){
   
      pos=pos-1;
       currentpositionservosensor=analogRead(A2);
   
    }
 
     if(targpositionservosensor<currentpositionservosensor){
   
      pos=pos+1;
       currentpositionservosensor=analogRead(A2);
   
    }
 
    //use audio trigger
     if(targpositionservosensor==currentpositionservosensor){
      Serial.println("going into mouthmode 1 - user control");
     mouthmode=1;
   
    }
 
    myservo.write(pos);
    delay(5);
 
  }

  if(mouthmode==2){
   // outcount=0;
     digitalWrite(11,LOW);
     digitalWrite(10,HIGH);
 
  Serial.println(sensorValue);
  delay(1);

  for(pos = 0; pos < 180; pos += 1)  // goes from 0 degrees to 180 degrees
  {                                  // in steps of 1 degree
    myservo.write(pos);
sensorValue = analogRead(A2);
 currentpositionservosensor=analogRead(A2);
 //long r=random(1000);
 outcount++;
  if(outcount>1000){

     Serial.println("going into mouthmode 1");
    mouthmode=1;
    outcount=0;
     digitalWrite(11,HIGH);
     digitalWrite(10,HIGH);
  }


Serial.print("Angle");
Serial.print(pos);
Serial.print(" Sensor:");
Serial.println(+sensorValue);

// tell servo to go to position in variable 'pos'
    delay(70);                       // waits 15ms for the servo to reach the position
  }
  for(pos = 180; pos>=1; pos-=1)     // goes from 180 degrees to 0 degrees
  {

 //long r=random(1000);
 outcount++;
  if(outcount>1000){
     Serial.println("going into mouthmode 1");
    mouthmode=1;
    outcount=0;
    digitalWrite(11,HIGH);
     digitalWrite(10,HIGH);
  }


    myservo.write(pos);              // tell servo to go to position in variable 'pos'
 
   sensorValue = analogRead(2);
    currentpositionservosensor=analogRead(2);
Serial.print("Angle");
Serial.print(pos);
Serial.print(" Sensor:");
Serial.println(+sensorValue);
 
 
    delay(50);                       // waits 15ms for the servo to reach the position
  }
  }


}

Treatment:

The concept of this control system was to develop a framework that would allow seamless transition between automated control (Arduino programmed control) and manned operation (r.c). The problem that needed to be addressed concerned measuring the angle of the servo in Arduino when the R.C control was initiated as this disconnected the signal from the Arduino control (Relay 1= Arduino Control; Relay 2 = R.C) The operation of the relay system is as a switch between the two control methods however the potentiometer mounted on the servo allows for constant measurement of the servo angle in Arduino. The position of the potentiometer  can then be set as the signal point for the Arduino (auto) control meaning that transition would be smooth between the two control methods, to test this I used a simple 'judder' for the automation and the r.c would then have to switch seamlessly between the quick movements.

This system addresses the issue of seamless transition between automative and manned control frameworks.

(The operation of the system in this format is to recreate autonomous functions associated with human physical/cognitive disorders in this case facial ticks - as outlined in my chapter on embodiment)

Map

There is no icon for r.c transmitter..so I used a joystick symbol instead.

Feelings: I am really happy with how this control system works, it has taken a good while to get it running exactly how I described it in my theoretical work. That said it was certainly worth the effort and will hopefully add further depth to the character. 

Evaluation: It has taken me a while to get in to uni and document this element of the project but everything sort of hit me at once and I needed to attend to more pressing matters as they came into focus. I really think there is a future for high variable systems such as this example in the future of animatronic characters. I think with further refinement and testing a framework can be developed that will bring a whole new dimension to the idea of automation and puppetry. The idea of creating a system that incorporates improvisational elements also gives the character a greater sense of personality and life. I would eventually like to further this system by incorporating more expressional factors into the program loop, this would allow for unpredictability similar to that of working with an animal. 

Analysis: the current situation of the project makes sense, it is nice to be back in uni and working on a few pieces in a study environment. One of the issue I have found doing a masters via research is that it can be a very singular and personal experience. This approach is all very well for concentration and structure but it can become very lonely at times and been back in uni and getting to chat with other pgr students is really nice. 

Conclusion: In conclusion I am really happy with how the control system performs and I think the video makes it really easy to see how the different parts function as a whole. 

Action Plan: The action plan is to new get the project over to uni and take things from there. Once the mechanical parts are secured at uni I will be able to program and adapt things from there. I think doing all this in uni is the best way of going about this process as I also have access to work books and my tutor is close by if I get stuck at any stage. Doing this at home would be a little more difficult as at times it can be hard to sort of explain what I am trying to achieve with the scripture over email in comparison to in person. Plus it is a lot simpler to deal with any errors when you have a second pair of eyes looking over what you are typing. 

05.11.15

Thesis: I am currently working on my contents pages, this part of the thesis is proving the most difficult to format. I have tried various techniques in order to align my page numbers and titles but I am still having problems getting it to align correctly. I am starting to think that as long as my page number all light up the titles can just go wherever. I have seen examples where people have used a cascading effect and it dose not look to bad but its still not brilliant. I cannot understand why they have made such a simple format procedure so difficult. 

Robot: I have now rigged up all the fingers to their corresponding touch sensor they work really well and it feels great to operate as each finger matches the placement on the sensor on the back of the robot. Doing things this way makes it feel like the hand is an extension of your own and hopefully adds to the concept of embodiment via physical control. This whole section of the robot now runs off its own portable power source, I have used a 6amp 2500v speed battery for this as it seems to give everything enough power while at the same time. The charge time of the battery is around 5 hours but this gives the operator around 2 hours worth of usage. I think this is in part down to the quality of the spektrum servos as they have a very low stand-by power requirement. 

Final test of the touch reactive sensors

This system is now complete, it runs off its own power source and micro controller. The action of the fingers is very smooth and the hand can perform simple tasks like gripping and dropping objects.  

Feelings

I feel very happy with how things have turned out in this session, the programming framework I put together for the arduino side of things has worked really well in this instance and it was very simple to measure the angles of the servos using my servo tester and then just input the data into the scripture.   

Evaluation

I have enjoyed this session in part down to seeing this element come to life via the touch sensors. It has a better operational feel in comparison to using the r.c remote. I am really glad that I included this control format in the model as it was not something I would have considered at the start. This is how important my theoretical work is in consideration of the physical build as it really outlines the direction of the practical elements of the project. Giving this element of the robot its own power supply as gives it in many ways independence from the other parts of the system, what I mean by this is its really easy to demonstrate to people how the hands work as it does not require booting up a pc or setting up several wires into different ports on a computer. I think this is a really nice way of going about things as its quick, simple and it gives everyone access as the flick of a switch. 

Analysis

The current situation of the project makes sense, both elements of the project are starting to enter their final stages and its just a case of making sure everything goes smoothly during this period. I also feel that the practical side of things is catching up with the theoretical side of the project now I am reaching the end of things. This is more or less how I wanted things to run as the written side of things has always led the project up till this point. 

Conclusion

In conclusion this session has been very useful in terms of perceiving how the rest of the project will run. I have still got a fair bit to go on the practical side of things but so far I am really please with how things have turned out. I need to start replicating all the elements I used for the left hand of the robot to construct the right hand. I plan to run both of these elements from the same controller. I am going to use a set of switches to control the functionality of each of the hands. I think this will provide a unique way of operating the system and it will also allow me to run everything from the same power source as I will just be using splitter cables instead of individuals powering each servo from the main source. The only issue I can see by doing things in this manor is I will have to have the same scripture for both hands. This means I need to position the servo arms on the left manually and not a programmatic level. This should not cause too many problems as the right hand will function exactly the same as the left in terms of operational 

Action Plan

The plan for the next few days is to start putting the different parts of the robot together and finish of constructing the other hand. I am becoming aware of the looming deadline but I really feel that things are moving on at such a rate that I should either finish right on the deadline or a little bit before. 

29.10.15

Thesis:

I am still working on the opening parts of my thesis, I am following my study guide to determine exactly what I need to discuss in the part of the literature. It is important to outline everything that this research project covers but I also want to include the approaches I implemented as I think it quite an important part of the research process. I also need to work on my acknowledgements as I have a lot of people to thank for their insights and help with my project. I will look into the most appropriate format for this section as I really want to include as much info as I can and exactly who has helped in my research. 

Practical Project:

This session is focused on the operation of the fingers working together. Each individual finger is independently rigged up to a dedicated 9kg spektrum servo. To transfer the pull/torque of each servo effectively each strand has its own path supported via pulleys. The pulley system works really well, I have used miliput to keep the L brackets I used to support the pulleys in place. I chose this method over themoplastic as I think it will bond better with the surface of the aluminium plates. I have come to the conclusion that miliput is great for keeping things in place that may need to be re-positioned during the setting process and themo plastic is best used when securing elements that dont need extra manipulation due to its very quick solidifying process. 

Another thing I have noticed is that the hand actually has a lot of grip in it, I did of experimentation getting the robotic hand to grip various objects and it can hold things if placed in the palm of it hand then let go of them. It does however struggle to pick up objects as it does not have any grip on the ends of the fingers. I do not intend to adapt the hands to include this it is merely an observation that they have a lot of power in them for something that is made of plastic cables ties and fishing wire. 

Two fingers working together

Internal workings of hand system

all finger operation using spektrum controller. 

Feelings: I am very happy with the robot at the moment, it is really starting to come together well and the hand feels well...like a robots hand. 

Evaluation: This sessions has been, for lack of a better word..amazing. I really have enjoyed seeing this project come to life and see my kids enjoy the project and help in controlling and playing with it. I really think its something that they will remember doing and I hope they have enjoyed the journey so far just as much as I have. In terms of progression things are moving on at a really fast rate, I am starting to put together the arm for the right hand of the robot using the same structure as the left. I am going over to uni soon so I am trying to decide what part of the robot to take over first. The head seems the most likely option as it is now complete, but then again I need to work on neck alignment and testing, which would be a lot easier here in my workshop than in the post grad room at uni. 

Analysis: The current situation of the project make sense to me, it is important that I now get my thesis finished and spend the next few days checking my spelling and proof read what I can. I will not lie this is not my strongest area at all, but I will try my best to go through it as thoroughly as I can with what tools I have to hand. I really do not want to blow this whole thing over a few spelling mistakes as I really want the project to be taken seriously as an academic study.  

Conclusion: In conclusion, I am really happy with how the project has turned out so far. I keep looking back over things and remember some of the issues I had in my last project and how I used my reflective space to over come those issues. In light of this I am going to purchase some back up servos, leads and batteries for the robot as I feel these are the weaker elements of the project as they have in the past proven to be unpredictable. 

Action Plan: The action plan for the new few days is to get my thesis finished, then secondly look at programming the fingers.,. well adapting the code at least it should just be a case of altering the start and finish position of each servo. 

27.10.15

Thesis:

I am getting there now with finishing up my appendices, it has been quite a difficult task to get these in the order I think best flows. I need to now start writing some parts of the opening body of the thesis that I have left till last. I wanted to leave these parts till the very end as it is all about summarising and breaking down the main parts of the study into a few paragraphs. I addition I also need to finish doing the contents page, I have been doing this as I have gone along sort of but there has been changes to titles and chapters numbers have moved up and down with text expansion and formatting. I have also run the main text through turn it in to check for any issues concerning plagiarism, I cannot see anything that pops out at me as I have made sure that I meticulously reference and record all my source usage. 

Model:

This session is based around attaching the robotic hand and arm to the internal aluminium chassis of the robot. The arm is operated manually via hand but is capable of full rotation and outwards movement. The parts finally arrived from over sees and the box was about the size of a small child so I can now see why it took so long to turn up. The main part of the inner structure is formed simply by connecting aluminium robotics brackets together using hex bolts. It only took a few hours to complete this as it was all pretty straight forward and I had already worked out exactly how many parts I would need using the internal dimensions on the body armour. The arm is connected to the body using two long U brackets that are normally used to attach servos to multinational robot brackets. I decided to construct the arm this was as it is a strong, durable and cost effective material. It also aesthetically fits in with the rest of the structure as it is made and painted using the same processes. 

I have also purchased a speaker stand to fit the robot on top of, this came with a flat top with holes in which after a bit of adaptation with a drill fit the holes on the aluminium body perfectly, I used L brackets to secure the body to the stand and long hex bolts and nuts to keep it in place. It feels really sturdy but at the same time quiet light considering its size. I think this is the bonus of using aluminium instead of other metals or materials. 

Feelings

I feel very happy at the moment, my long awaited package has arrived and things have moved on super quick with the project. I just hope I do not need any more parts from China as its pretty clear that they will most likely not arrive before the deadline. 

Evaluation

The body and arm look great, I need to think of a way to attach the neck to the upper torso, I think the best way to do this is to copy the same formula as I used for attaching the body to the base of the speaker stand. However, when I have lined up the robotic rotational neck base to the top of the torso there is a bit of overlap on each side. This may prove problematic when trying to fit this flush on to the body. Another possible way of doing this may be to use metal bonding glue but because the aluminium is painted black I think that the glue will more likely stick to this coating that the actual metal itself which would leave an insecure bond. 

Analysis

The current situation of the project makes sense, I believe that both elements are now running at the same pace and its getting to the point now where its becoming very exciting. I am still however playing catch up a bit with the delays in shipping, but i am sure that I can soon get back on track now I have all the materials and tools I need at my disposal. 

Conclusion

In conclusion, the arm and the body look really neat and its starting to feel like a real robot. I held the head above the body roughly where I think it will go and at what height and I think this will be a beast when its all connected together. I guess its going to be around the 6ft-7ft height range. This may prove difficult when I ship it all over to uni, but I will cross that bridge when I come to it.. I can always buy him his own seat on the train I guess. 

Action Plan

I need to finish of some bits and bobs on the arm so I can wire the cables up to the hand. Its just a case of securing the pulleys I purchased on line. I will get to that in the next few days after I have finished drafting the intro summary of my thesis. 

19.10.15

Thesis

I am still working on my appendices, I am having some issues with my copy of word as it seems to keep removing the lines on my charts which is becoming a tad annoying. I need to get things done as soon as possible so I can start going through it and proof reading my chapters. I had an idea of creating my own front cover for the thesis but I have decided that maybe this is not the best move at this stage.  

Model

This session looks at the positioning and operations of the touch sensitive controls situated on the back of the robot. The idea is that this panel and be operated with the puppeteers right hand and the arm operated simultaneously with the left. I am having some issues with the touch sensitive modules that I purchased. It appears that only some of them work, and even more annoying is that they all seem to operate at different sensitivity rates. I have managed to solve this at a programmatic level with one of two of the sensors but ultimately I am going to have to send them back and get alternatives. I do not think these are of the best quality anyway as all the labels on the sensors where stuck on back to front so ground was signal and signal was ground. This did take a few hours to figure out as I was questioning my own abilities rather than the product I was using. 

Regardless of this I now have a working prototype of the sensor activating a servo and returning the servo to its original position on release. This set up actually works really well and I think using touch sensors gives the model a better operational feel than using say buttons or switches. 

First test of the touch sensor control system. 

Feelings: I feel pretty happy with how things are moving on at the moment, the touch sensitive controllers give really good reaction to operation. 

Evaluation: I am still stressing about my package from China, its getting to the point now where I am considering trying to source the parts I need from an English company. I have avoided doing this so far as the national companies seem to charge over 5 times the price as china do for the same product. This is becoming indicative of this type of system construction as I had the same problems with my last robot.  

Analysis: The current situation of the project makes sense to me. I really like the idea of adding elements of manual puppetry into the model as this was covered in my theoretical work as an important element of embodiment and depth.  

Conclusion: In conclusion the sensors I bought are a pile of rubbish and will need replacing, I purchased them in consideration of budget rather than quality and have inevitably paid the price for this. I'd say this is something I will learn from but I don't think it is. Every now and then you get some absolute gems and they form an important part of your arsenal, but to find them you have to trawl through all the rubbish.  

Action Plan: I will continue to work on the programming for the hands as I can do this without actually having the physical sensors in front of me. Then when the new sensors arrive I will just adapt the script to support the new hardware. 

14.10.15 Voice Recognition Test Using Kinect Micophones Built into Chassis

Thesis: I am still working on my appendices, I realised that I did not put my filmography into alphabetical order... school boy error. I tried to use word to put this in order for me but alas it just messed everything up so I am going to have to do all this manually.

Robot:

This session is focused on the vocal recognition software that will be used as human interaction interface. The response will be outputted into processing / eliza chat allowing the robot to respond to questions. I wanted to add this in as an optional extra, people always seem blown away with voice rec but I always find it difficult to implement in busy spaces. I am using the kinects internal mic set up for this and just changing the mic setting in my system prefs. The all I did was use a program 'google voice' in this case but you can use mac in built voice rec system. Then all you do is write a short bit of script that measures the pauses in the audio as a string of audio.. fox example 7 seconds of silence after an initial sentence and then you use this to trigger the enter command in processing. Again this only really works if you are in a quiet room as without silence at the end of a sentence it will not work. Audio contamination is also an issue when recording as loud noise can interrupt the voice recognition process. 

However, I really wanted to include this element as an adaption from the last project. I think once this technology becomes more adaptable and capable it will provide a very useful communication and interaction framework for animatronic character systems. 

Feelings: I am still waiting on parts from over sees and its really becoming a bit of a drag having to put things on hold whilst they are in transit. This is still making me feel pretty anxious in regards to the deadline of this project. 

Evaluation: I really like the idea of adding voice recognition into the project, but voice rec is still at its infancy stage and getting hold of software that is capable of delivering precise dictation is still .. not quite there yet. I am hoping that this will change quickly and that there will be a package available that can cope with multiple voice and contamination in time for my next project. It is a shame that this element does not quite function how I would like it to as it was covered in my thesis a possible advancement in animatronics and I really wanted to include it in this project. That said, it does work if you are in a silent room, but if the application of this system is for filmic engagement and interaction getting perfect silence is not really going to be an option. 

Analysis: The current situation of the project makes sense, the delays are sort of forcing me to think of other things that I can be prototyping and adding to the model while i am in wait of my package. 

Conclusion: In Conclusion there is most certainly use for voice recognition software in animatronics and maybe even such platforms as interactive theatre and other live action formats. However, the technology is not quite good enough yet to implement this in a working model. I am however, really please that I did try this and the fact that it does work is something that is worth expanding on in future projects.

Action Plan: I will continue to work on various parts of the project until my shipment arrives. I will look at writing the script for the hand system it should be pretty straight forward. 

Voice test reciting Asimov's robotic laws.

Thesis

I am still working on my appendices, I have asked my participants if it is OK to include their questionnaire answers in my thesis as full text. I need to format all of this so it all flows and corresponds and is clear for everyone to see in context.  

Animatronic

I have been working on programming some responses in the eliza chat scripture, I have always wanted to include Asimov's laws of robotics in a project as it sort of reminds me of robo cop for some reason so I took this opportunity to write a new voice app and put the laws as a simple trigger in eliza. I like the result so much i am tempted to keep it.

Feelings: I am still pretty annoyed at my China shipment, i am starting to think it has got lost in the post. I have emailed the company and they have assured me it is on its way so I will just have to take their word for it at this stage.

Evaluation: I am really happy with how the voice app is sounding, I changed the whole script and tried to model it a little bit on the ED2000 robot from robo cop.. I dont know how close I got to it in reality but it sounds ok to me. I will start programming some of the features in arduino and hopefully get a video of all the automated elements working together very shortly.

Analysis: The current state of the project makes sense to me, now I have the thesis almost finished bar reading through it for typos and maybe adding a few bits in here and there.

Conclusion: In conclusion I have enjoyed doing some programming today, its always a good feeling as its like giving the model a personality and starting from a blank slate gives endless possibilities so my mind is kind of on fire at the moment.

Action Plan: Keep programming and working on my thesis until my shipment arrives.

13.10.15

Thesis: I have now finished my IBDM data base and I am working on the picture references I have made in the text. Unlike the reference list for the literature I did not compile the information for the pictures I had collected. So this was a bit of an oversight and I have had to go through google image search trying to locate the destination and copy write information for each of my pictures. 

Project: I have now finished the palm of the robots hand, I started using while miliput for this but it became quickly apparent that this was the wrong material to use. I did not set quick enough and the plastic tubes seemed to have a life of their own so it just ended up as one big mess. I decided to start over again and use thermoplastic for this also. I was lucky enough to have plenty of the material left over from the fingers ect so it was no trouble sourcing the plastic. It worked so much better than the milliput and I even managed to embed some grips into the palm of the hand and secure them in place with small black m2 screws. The grips where left over from an old computer mouse I had and they look pretty cool on the hand.

Feelings: Frustrated !!! I am still waiting on my brackets to arrive from China its been over 5 weeks now and I paid for fast shipping so its slightly annoying as the project is basically at a stand still in terms of the practical building of the project at this point until my shipment arrives. 

Evaluation: I need to start testing the fingers using the spektrum r.c control now the hand and arm are finished. I may also start programming some bits of the head since I have time to do that now. I think the programming side of things is not really the issue here its getting the physical build finished. At the end of the day I can do programming sat on the train or in the bath I cant build on the road so to speak. 

Analysis: The current situation of the project makes sense, I think both the elements of the project work really well together now and a lot of the outcomes of the thesis can be observed in the practical model. This was always the intention from the start, that the writing should lead the physical build.  

Conclusion: In conclusion, this is a very unbalanced time to be in, time is ticking and waiting around for parts is just soul destroying at this stage. That said I am very happy with the progress that has been made during this session and I am trying to remain positive that I will get the parts I need in the post shortly and I can crack on and get the robot finished and sent off to uni.

Action Plan: Start programming and finish off doing my images for thesis.  

8.10.15

Thesis: I am still working on the tables for the IBDM data base rank/category information. I was not going to include this at the start but I think it really adds authentication to what I was trying to get at in the literature review concerning the horror and sci-fi genres.  

Project: I am currently working on wiring up the fishing line to the servos in the forearm. The tri-bind fishing wire is super strong and can hold 100 lbs in weight, which is more than enough for my purposes. The wire is also coated in a nano web designed to stop the wire from freying or ripping so this will come in useful when running through the pulleys and tubes of the arm and finer mechanisms. 

 My Son testing out the skeleton tracking rig.

Feelings

I am still feeling pretty happy with how things are turning out, I just really need my brackets from China to turn up in the next couple of days as I have ordered enough to finish the body and other arm. This should not take long to do at all its just like fancy lego at the end of the day. 

Evaluation

I think its important to get the hand finished so I can replicate it for the other hand. I may start on the other hand if my brackets do not arrive shortly. I need to make the palms of the hands and insert plastic tubing into the thermoplastic so the fishing wire can travel along them. I should get this done tomorrow hopefully. Once this is done I can move on straight away to testing how the fingers function using the servos, I will use the r.c remote of this as its just quicker and easier to set up than programming an arduino board to trigger the fingers. 

Analysis

The current state of the project makes sense, I do feel like time is really against me at the moment but this may be because I have been waiting so long for the brackets to arrive from China. I did go a bit mad and have almost certainly ordered more stuff than I need. The size and weight of the package me ultimatum be what is slowing it down in transit. 

Conclusion 

In conclusion, this has been a very chilled session but I am nervous about my shipment coming on time. This is the biggest problem I have had in the past when ordering from China it is a very unreliable way of going about things. I have had wrong items sent out before and even had packages go missing all together. It never fills me with confidence when they supply you with a shipping code that does not work on the tracking system either.

Action Plan

Finish the IBDM data base stuff for good and get the hand finished off. 

5.10.15

Thesis: I am now working on the appendices of my thesis, my main focus has been getting the filmography done as its pretty extensive and I want to make sure I include every single film from the literature.  

Model: The model is coming along nicely I have fitted 5 servos into the fore arm, I managed to measure this out perfectly as they all fitted in the groove of the arm perfectly. It is always a bit hit and miss when you are using other people measurements before you actually have the physical parts in front of out but it all seemed to have gone to plan. There is now quite a bit of weight in the arm now so i am going to have to think carefully about how I am going to attach it to the body, my first thought is to order some more aluminium brackets from China but I dont know if my time scale will allow for this as I already have two massive shipments of brackets on the way. 

Feelings: The robot is looking awesome which is really great after so much time spent on getting the head to look how I wanted it. The hand and arm was really quick and simple to put together. It is basically the same system I used for the tongue but this time using a slightly thicker cable tie. I am also pleased to have finished all the major parts of my thesis and its pretty nice to just sit down and work on the appendices at my own leisure. 

Evaluation: Now the thesis is pretty much finished I feel like a massive weight has been lifted and I can now get on with the robot. Once my new brackets arrive things should move on really quickly. I also need to think how I am going to get this all over to uni and where I am going to be able to store it. 

Analysis: Things are pretty much all in place now, which is good as time is running out. I feel that the two elements of the project have come together really well and sort of interact really well.

Conclusion: In conclusion I am very pleased to be in this situation at the moment, ive had no major issues with either parts of the project and I feel its coming together like how I first imagined it would at the start of the project. 

Action Plan: Finish filmography and move on to writing up the tables of rank / genre from the IBDM data base stuff.