I am still undergoing my literature review and I have narrowed down the topics to 5-6 main themes I want to concentrate my efforts on. I have also been researching information to create tutorials basing them on the similar outline of the Stan Winston School videos as they are very lighthearted but at the same time very indepth and interesting. I spent some time in the library and have found a few books on special effects the include the implementation of animatronic systems and compares them to other mediums. I have also identified an area of research that seems to have little written evidence, I am taking this as a gap in the research and will conduct my own research in this area.
Animatronic Build.
I have been prototyping a tongue mechanism using milliput (1.1) and thermoplastic (1.2).
1.1
1.2
Milliput:
The milliput prototype works really well and has plenty of movement but my main concern with it is the strength of the miliput when put under pressure from the pull string. From experience I know milliput tends to crack and splinter over time the compound reacts under strain and can come loose. This would be a major concern for me down the line as I know form past projects that it can be a real effort to replace the internal parts of a project in the later stages.
Thermoplastic:
I really like this material, I find it difficult to use due the quick setting time. You get about 20 seconds to mould that shape you want before the plastic become in-usable. However you can reheat the plastic in boiling water and repeat the process again until satisfied. The main issue I have with this material is that it I do not know how it will react to the heat created by the servos and other mechanisms. I will have to do a test to ensure that I know what temperature the material starts to liquidise.
Feelings:
I am still feeling very optimistic, I find the initial start to any project is always the most exciting and the very end of the process is always the most satisfying ... it's the in-between bit that is the most stressful so I have that stuck in the back of my mind at this current stage and how I need to prepare for that. I feel that the research is also coming along well, It is difficult to find lots of information out about specific areas as they are still 'industry secrets' but I am uncovering alot of useful material through online sources such as summons.
Evaluation:
The prototyping of the tongue was a very good experience, its a simple mechanism and I hope it will add character and realism to the end result. Reviewing literature is an interesting experience this time around as I am very passionate about the subject matter instead of trying to fit my research to a pre-established proposal.
Analysis:
The research is still in it's early stages I have made a file with many subfiles to put the different categories of literature into. Hopefully this will make things easier when It comes to writing the literature review at the start of March.
The current position of the project is still in the early stages but this type of experimentation helps to give an idea of how things will shape up and its really satisfying to actually get your hands on something and starting building parts and experimenting with materials.
Conclusion:
In conclusion I think the prototype tongue has demonstrated the usefulness of thermoplastic within this project. It is a really strong and lightweight material that can be reused and reformed easily. I think after I have confirmed that materials melting point that it will be the best choice to make the different elements of the internal mechanics with.
The research is really gaining ground in a short period of time, I just hope that people within the industry will respond well to it as there are not many other studies conducted in this area.
Action Plan:
The action plan for next time is to continue with my literature search and participant contact list. I will also test out the melting point of thermoplastic and start prototyping mechanisms for the jaw mechanics of the animatronic.
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