Monday, February 22, 2016

Mechanism 4

As I wait for the last of the electronics to get here in the mail I am working to mock up the mechanisms that they will be driving. Here is the next one.

Sunday, February 21, 2016

Hearing Funnel

The seam seems is nice and tight after the last set of revisions. The bracket interfaces with the helmet but needs to be beefed up a bit, and I think I need to add a slot to the end of the top piece to help keep it more square,

The print quality on the first one of these revisions was a little bad on the attachment for the strap, but it still works nicely and holds in place quite well.

I am still able to hear the sounds to the front and side and now can direct my hearing behind me. There are still a number of improvements that could be made but I could make but I feel that as a warm up I was able to solve a good number of problems and refine my design quite a bit.



Hearing Funnel

Unsure of what to call this project I have been referring to it as the hearing funnel. I don't feel like this is a final name, but it works for now as I make notes about it. After having a printed version I wanted to refine the tolerances between the two pieces, center the joint better, create a tighter seam, and hide the ends of the seam. I also wanted to work on how the piece was going to interface with the helmet, and created simple brackets to attach to the straps pf the helmet.

Warm Up

After having the cardboard mock up I created an initial model in Rhino. I was really loose on my tolerances and was mostly thinking about how I could assemble the pieces. I have been thinking about the way the piece will attach to the helmet, but decided that I will consider that in the revisions that I do. I know that having a model and 3D printing it is the first step.





Warm Up Project

This project began with the task of making a prototype for something that either heightens or diminishes one of the senses. I considered the senses and thought about my life and bike riding seemed like the thing to focus on. I thought about how I use my left ear to hear what is happening around me, it keeps me safe and helps me to navigate. I do sometimes find myself cocking my head in specific ways to better hear what is happening behind me. On longer rides I sometimes listen to music but I only listen to it in my right ear, which is the one that is away from the street. After some sketching I moved onto a quick cardboard mock to start working through the idea.





Wednesday, February 10, 2016

Sketching for Machines

I am working on my shopping list for the things that I cannot make myself, once I have the pieces selected that I need, I can work around those dimensions to make the moving pieces that make the actual sculpture. As I work towards the creation of the mechanism I am creating digital sketches that I can start to fill with the pieces that I have to purchase, and build from there.

Models for Mechanisms

My class 612 is the final project for my Digital Studio Practices Major. During the semester I will be creating an object for the BFA show and Arts and Tech Night. I have decided that I am going to build a machine that moves, I will combine the things that I began in Physical Computing, with the things that I have learned in the DCRL (Digital Craft Research Lab) that will aid me in craft.

After considering various types of mechanisms I built moving cardboard models of two of them. I am exploring a third motion that looks very interesting on paper, and may build a model of that as well.

This first one would likely include lights that would cause the rectangles to change colors

This version shows potential. The arms would likely be 3 axis milled to give them a good contour.

Monday, February 8, 2016

Sample three

Sample three is on luan again also using gloss paint. I want to expand on the idea of patterns and also not be limited to the 12" x 16" bed of the laser cutter.

More tests

This set is 4 colors on masonite. For this set I used matte paint which scorched in a different way than the gloss. I am sure the change in paint plays an effect, and am wondering if a longer cure time will help. 36 hours is a good amount of time, but even matte paint would still be off gassing at that point, when you introduce the heat of a laser I am sure this plays an effect. Since I am considering these as tests I need to figure out how to roll through them quickly and not end up with these blemishes.


and again the remnants look so nice!

Tests

I am working on some samples for one of the classes. I am exploring the capabilities of the laser cutter at the moment, and combining it with different ideas that deal with patterns and stenciling. This first step involves cutting patterns into various materials. This first set is 3 colors cut into luan.


There is some scorching on the pieces. It seems that the gloss paint allows me to clean it up, but its not the desired effect. On a side note the remnants of the process of making the cuts has a beautiful an unintended randomness that I love.



Last One

Here it is the last semester. It has been real, I have learned a great deal and now its time to put it to use. I will be working on projects for three different classes this semester and posting progress along the way here.