Calcifer Animitronic Cosplay
To prepare for a convention, in under a week I designed, drafted, workshopped, 3d printed, and automated an animatronic based on the character Calcifer from Howl's Moving Castle. Using an Arduino microcontroller, miniature servo motors, several buttons, a small electronic air pump, and a party blower I was able to give him the ability to blink, open and shut his mouth, and even appear to stick out his flame tongue. A box with 3 buttons rested on my hip using a belt-hook allowing me to control Calcifer with my arms resting at my sides.
Final Calcifer in Action
Eyelid Mechanics Test
Safe Feeder - Cat Food Security
An enclosure I created to surround one of my two cats' food bowls. When the wrong kitty approaches, an RFID tag on her collar triggers the defense mechanism. In the feeder, a servo motor knocks a brick into a bucket, then another servo flips a thin flap, deterring the wrong kitty from approaching. The brick acts as a counter for me to check when I get home, its also a warning that she's about to be booped in the snoot.
Safe Feeder Demonstration
CatCam - Proof of Function
Model Spinner
A 28byj stepper motor spinning a planetary gearset I designed to spin models on a platform. The button activates the spinning motion, pushing the button again turns off the machine and a third time will spin the model but in the opposite direction.
Model Spinner in Action
Steppers, Servos, & Code
My MFA Graduate Final Project & Report. An investigative introduction into Mini Servo Motors and Nema-sized Stepper Motors. In one half of the project I made a Pixel Board and had it do an interpretive dance. For the Steppers I experimented with 1:1 control of simple mechanical arms through use of several encoders. My lack of shop space and materials left the Robo-Arm project slightly incomplete but I've posted this video anyway because what I was still able to achieve was fantastic and fun to watch.
The Pixel-Board
Robo-Arm Concept
