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| home > Portfolio > Videos | Portfolio odds and ends | 7 July 2010 |
| Jim Whiting's Deus ex Machina show, West Fluegel theatre, Leipzig. | August 2009 |
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| Puppeting Keyboard for Jim Whiting. | July 2009 |
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On visiting Jim Whiting in summer 2009 I found the 8052-AH-Basic show control computers I built for him 20 years ago languishing unused because the BBC-B computer, which formerly was used to record puppeted moves, had stopped working. I refurbished the control computers, made an add-on for the original puppeting keyboard and wrote software to run on the control computers which read the new keyboard and recorded the puppeted moves into RAM or onto EEPROM, eliminating the BBC-B. The EEPROMS could then be used in the old (ie even older) 6502 show control computers. The add-on is the upper part in the photo. This new keyboard enabled us to have 10 show computers running, all with new puppeted moves, for Jim Whiting's Deus ex Machina show in the West Fluegel Theatre, Leipzig, in August 2009. see the original computers below. |
| Animatronic note-taker. | April 2009 |
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For The Princess Royal Class Locomotive Trust, The WEST SHED Midland Railway - Swanwick Junction site off Coach Road, Golden Valley DE5 3QW Ripley, Derbyshire.
The Animatronic Note-taker is one of three figures set up in the restored railway Dynamometer-car 45050 recreating a scene from the record breaking run on 16th November 1936 by the steam engine 6201 Princess Elizabeth. Left to Right are Reg Ford Sam Allwood and the Note-taker. In partnership with Gems Display Figures. |
| Dinosaurs, Newcastle Natural History Museum. | Winter 2008 |
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For Dartura.
Chirotherium Two moving eyes mechanisms and controllers and one moving head mechanism and controller for three animatronic dinosaurs for Newcastle Natural History Museum. |
| Facially expressive Animatronic head. | Autumn 2008 |
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For Nottingham Trent University.
An animatronic head with silicone skin to investigate facial expressions. |
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Shadow C6M Smart Motor Hand Electric conversion for Shadow Pneumatic Dextrous Hand. | Summer 2008 |
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For The Shadow Robot Company.
Mechanical design of the forearm and wrist for the conversion of the Shadow Pneumatic Dextrous Hand to use electric motors together with force sensing feedback to achieve active compliance. Debugging and reworking of existing motor control boards and force sensors for use with the new arm. The project also required learning and becoming skilled in ProDesktop, the CAD program Shadow use.
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| Animatronic Gaze Controlled head with Gaze Eyes | January 2006 |
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The head for a Swedish museum is fitted with a Gaze-Control neck post, which provides random lifelike movements to the head,
and Gaze-Eyes in which the eyes move, again, in a random lifelike manner.
In partnership with Gems Display Figures. |
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Robotic-Leg for medical research into powered prosthetics, North Carolina A & T University | 2005 |
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The human sized Leg was made for the Shadow Robot Co. as part of a contract from North Carolina A & T University and my understanding is that it was to be used at North Carolina A & T University in a research program which would investigate myoelectric control of powered prosthetic legs. The program was to be overseen by Dr. Gary L. Lebby, a Research Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering.
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| Animatronic Sir William Stanier, locomotive designer. The Princess Royal Class Locomotive Trust, Ashbourne, Derbyshire | September 2004 |
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The figure of Sir William sits at a desk in his office reading a drawing. When vistors approach he looks up at them then gazes around before returning to his drawing. In partnership with Gems Display Figures. |
| Animatronic Squaddy and Provost Sergeant - ATS/REME | March 2004 |
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The Squaddy on reprimand came to attention while facing the
Provost Sergeant writing his report.
In partnership with Gems Display Figures. |
| Animatronic Policeman - the Police Federation | August 2003 |
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The figure of a Policeman sat on a bed in an iron barred prison cell on the Police Federation's stand at the party Political Conferences 2003 where he was interviewed by MPs.
The skin of the head was silicone, which allowed for realistic facial movements; and the controller, MP3 player and speakers were inside the body, so the figure was self contained needing only a mains power socket.
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| Animatronic Crofter - the Hootananny Celtic Heritage Centre, Inverness | June 2003 |
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The Animatronic figure is of a nineteen fifties scottish farmer (crofter) talking about his harsh life and is installed in the Hootananny Celtic
Heritage Centre in Inverness. The skin of the head is silicone, which allows for realistic facial movements and long life; and the controller, MP3 player and speakers are inside the body so the figure is self contained needing only a mains power socket. The Crofter speaks in Gaelic which is translated by a Tour Guide prior to an audio visual presentation. In partnership with Gems Display Figures. |
| Cycler Presentation Robot - Waste Watch | 2002/3 |
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| Cyclers is one of three state of
the art presentation robots specially designed and built for the environment and
education charity Waste Watch www.wastewatch.org.uk to
bring their waste prevention message of Reduce, Reuse and Recycle to schools around the
country. To aid Cycler in his job he needs a handler to tell him what to do by using a concealed radio control transmitter. He has five microcontrollers for a brain and nervous system; an MP3 sound file player, amplifier and speakers to allow him to talk; and seven electric motors to make him move. The handler can make Cycler drive around, move his arms, move his head and has full control over the MP3 player allowing highly interactive dialogs to take place. In between being told what to do Cycler runs his own inbuilt personality program which makes him look around, moving and flashing his eyes, whilst moving his head and arms; for practical reasons Cycler is not allowed to drive about unless specifically ordered to do so by his handler. This personality program enables the handler to have both hands in view whilst Cycler continues to move speak and generally look alive thus aiding the presentation. In partnership with Professor Martin Smith, then of the Technology Innovation Centre (TIC)
Update 2006 - WRAP are now funding Waste Watch's Cycler project and have renamed Cycler as recycler |
| Animatronic talking Celt 'Setantii Tales of Tameside' museum Ashton-under-Lyne | March 2002 |
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| In partnership with Gems Display Figures. |
| Hextor hexapod walking robot | August 2001 |
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Hextor is a six legged walking robot designed for Milford Instruments to be
the top of their range of robots.
Based around a Parallax BS2sx processor, easily programmed in Stamp Basic, the Walker has fifteen servo motors, twelve for the six legs, two for the gripper/lift and one for scanning with the Polaroid ultrasonic range-finder, power is supplied from a standard 7.2volt Nicad pack. In partnership with Milford Instruments. |
| Animatronic Bishop figure. Multiple programable head movements. | April 2001 |
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The Animatronic Head is fully programmable for movements of nod and shake and is similar to Alfred below. Movement is triggerd by a PIR unit and the control unit then enables a Digital Audio Recording of one of the Bishop's sermons. Caernarvon, North Wales. In partnership with Gems Display Figures. |
| Animatronic English Civil War figure. Multiple programable head and eye movements. | February 2001 |
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The Animatronic Head is fully programmable for movements of nod, shake and eyes from side to side. All the mechanics are contained in the head which uses the standard Gems neck-post attachment which enabling it to be fitted to any of the Gems range of bodies. The moves for the head and eyes are recorded by moving a control knob, repeating for each of the movements and so building up the performance which can last up to four minutes. The performance can be triggered by infrared sensors etc and can also be set to repeat automatically. In partnership with Gems Display Figures. |
| TecFoot biped robot | September 2000 |
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TecFoot is a two foot (63 cms) tall biped robot controlled by a Parallax Basic-Stamp-2 computer and two auilliary processors. It is equiped with five servo motors which enable true biped walking and turning. TecFoot was designed for Milford Instruments to fulfil an order from the University of Glagow's Mechanical Engineering Department for ten large BigFoot type biped robots. In partnership with Milford Instruments. |
| Six animatronic figures, for an educational touring show, Germany | March 2000 |
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| Six animatronic figures, three women with articulated heads and three men with articulated heads and arms to populate a bus for a touring show to German schools.
In partnership with Gems Display Figures. |
| Animatronic figures, Assize Courts, Bodmin, Cornwall. | 1999 |
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The Mech-ai range of robot kits | 1998 to date |
| BigFoot biped robot | 1998 |
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BigFoot is a biped walking robot controlled by a Parallax Basic-Stamp-1 computer. It is equiped with two servo motors which enable true biped walking and turning. The original BigFoot was designed as an experimental robot and then created as a kit and sold by Milford Instruments.
BigFoot was the first two servo-motor Biped Walking Robot in the world; It was also the robot design which introduced to the world the concept of sideways tipping feet which enabled its weight to be transferred from one foot to the other. This is now the de facto standard method for small biped robots. BigFoot has been the inspiration for many variants, see www.davidbuckley.net/DB/Inspire.htm In partnership with Milford Instruments. |
| Disney's Beauty and the Beast - New-Invention | October 1998 |
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| The New-Invention is a steam powered wood chopping car created by Beauty's father which is driven about and chops wood on-stage. The Dominion Theatre, Totenham Court Road, London. |
| Postman Pat Van | August 1998 |
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| A ride-in electric van for the Postman Pat British touring show. |
| London Pageant Dark Ride - Barrel Man | August 1997 |
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A docker pushes the barrel towards the public with great speed. The power is pneumatic provided by a compressor.
In partnership with Gems Display Figures. |
| Gaze-Control for Animatronic Heads | 1995 to date |
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A unit to enable a standard Gems head to be used as an Animatronic head on a standard body. Using the Gaze-Control allows the figure to be given different personalities by simply adjusting the control knobs. In addition external devices can initiate one or two triggered behaviors. In partnership with Gems Display Figures. |
| SFx Butt and Pig | December 1994 |
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| A special effect for a pantomime in Southampton, (I don't know what it was called). A pig on a lead had to turn the Butt in a circle whilst off-stage someone had to fire an arrow into the bullseye then a second arrow had to split the first. I made an elastic powered truck inside the 'T' beam which pushed out an arrow through the bullseye and then the arrow split to reveal a second arrow. The whole arrangement was operated from under the stage and the truck had a big safety-pin which locked it in place so a stage hand wouldn't get pierced by an arrow! |
| Camel 3a Andrew Lloyd Weber's Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat the British Touring Show. for smaller theatres. - A thinner base for Camel-3. |
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| Camel 3 Andrew Lloyd Weber's Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat the British Touring Show. | October 1993 |
| Rumpus Mansion, Blackgang Chine, I.O.W. | April 1993 |
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| I installed all the pneumatics system and designed, built and installed the computers and electronic controls for thirteen sets, wrote the software and puppeted all the moves for the pieces.
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| Camel 2 Andrew Lloyd Weber's Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat the American Touring Show. | November 1992 |
| Pygmalion (My Fair Lady) | February 1992 |
| The pneumatic system for the evil vines and other special effects for the EuroDisney Sleeping Beauty pop-up Book | January 1992 |
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| The book was built by Michael Whitely's shop in London and Adam Wright worked with pop-up book artist Jan Pienkowski to build the sets. The book was huge, with live actors performing on the pages. Sadly though, after the opening of EuroDisney the book seems to have gone into storage. Has anyone seen it since? |
| Flower - Channel 4 opera - Camera | October 1991 |
| Camel 1 Andrew Lloyd Weber's Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at the London Palladium. | May 1991 |
| Puppeting and Recording keyboard for Jim Whiting's shows | 1991 |
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| A keyboard to allow real time puppeting and recording of shows which incorporated on the fly creation of looping blocks. The keyboard plugged into an 8052AH-Basic control computer which ran the software.
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| 8052AH-BASIC Control Computers for Jim Whiting's shows | 1990 |
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| One of five control computers for Jim Whiting's Deus ex machina shows. The computers have an 8052AH-Basic control board, a custom network interface board, 16 relay outputs, two show sensor inputs, 32 logic inputs, a hex-switch program selector and the network connector. The photo was taken in 2009 when I refurbished them to run the West Fluegel show. |
| X500 Robot Arm | 1988 |
Prototype robot arm.
| Zeaker mobile robot | 1983 |
| The production prototype Zeaker as sold by Colne Robotics. A desktop mobile robot designed to be controlled from any of the popular personal computers of the time. |
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