5.4.15

Thesis:

I am nearing the end of my literature review, I have only a few bits to add in and then I am going to move on to constructing my introduction. I have analysed the results of my pilot study that I conducted a few weeks ago which indicate that dropping my questionnaire questions from 10 to 7 to be appropriate for this study as industry professionals may perceive 10 questions to be too many to complete due to their heavy work schedules. The results also indicated that the most appropriate means of contact was directly through email via personal portfolios. I aim to start the main questionnaire study over the next couple of weeks after I have finished my introduction.


Build: I have been really busy working on the model the past few days and I have managed to finished the tongue rig. This was an additional mechanism that I decided to make a prototype of when I was struggling to sleep, this worked so well that I have decided to integrate the system into my project. 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4. To add the silicone tongue to the mechanism I covered the internal structure with a layer of cellophane, this stops the silicone gumming up the works and means it can be removed without damaging the internal mechanisms. The process took about 2 hours finished adding layer by layer and mixing the silicone with the red pigment I purchased for the thermoplastic resin. I then added features like taste buds using a pen tip coated with vegetable oil (stops silicone sticking).

1.1

 1.2

 1.3

 1.4

The tongue is very lifelike I added an extra layer of un-pigmented clear silicone to the tongue so it binds all the layers together and gives the part a wet look.

The mechanism is really smooth but I think one of the things I may change is the metal wire to a tri binded fishing wire. the metal wire is great for prototyping as if it snaps its pretty easy to replace but I will need a much stronger material and tri binded fishing wire is coated with a nanoweb that makes the material smooth and very strong. I have ordered a 100m of this material and intend to use it for the lip rig also.

Feelings:

I am really pleased with how the project has progressed this week considering I thought I would have little time to spend on the build with having my children at home for the holidays. It has been really great to get them involved and both of them have taken to playing around with some of the materials I have purchased so it has made progression a little easier and fun.

Evaluation:

This week has been a really positive experience I have progressed experientially with both elements of the project which has elevated the whole developmental experience to a new level. Part of my wants to continue and build a fill head rig with eyes but I will see how I progress with this part of the project over the next month or so then make that decision.

Analysis:

The current situation of the project makes sense, I think if I can continue at this pace and quality I can get this project finished with a little extra time to spend on ironing out any creases. I think one of the things I cam going to start introducing is a online video tutorial using some of the reference parts I purchased for this project to demonstrate the mechanisms on the main build.

Conclusion:

I could not have done anything else this week, although I have spent more time on the build than the thesis. I feel this was a necessary move to bring both the project closer to alignment.

Action Plan: I am going to spend next week working on my thesis as I have ordered new parts from abroad that will take a couple of weeks to arrive.

I will update as a footer to this log if anything else comes up.