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.