Interaction Engineering blog

Rendering in PhotoScanPro

The workshop was held together with approximately 20 local kids that were divided into 3 groups. When playing the game kids were asked to define a characteristic of each robot personalities. We saw kids calling the bots with their names, encouraging them or calling them names because they did not do what they wanted. The antropomorphic features contributed to the fact that kids were stroking the bots fur. Some kids even said that after they stroke the bot it calmed down. This is something that was not intentionally coded in behaviour but evolved from its coded characteristics, because when the robot is in the panic mode it needs few second in the darknes to calm down. We hypothesize that when kids were stroking the bot they were also covering or limiting the source of light, therefore the bot had a chance to calm down.

Two people were simultaneously taking videos by walking around the person sitting on the chair.

With the new designs of the outer shells laser cut, we have begun assembling the bots. The Arduino board is crewed to the bottom chassis plate to keep it steady in place. The bumper is attached to the chassis using the rubber bands. Initially, we were aiming at one rubberband directly from the hole to the hole on the bumper, but we did not manage to buy rubber bands with a smaller diameter, therefore we had to attach two bands from one hole going diagonally to the next hole on the bumper. 

Assembling Introbots before the workshop in Sicily

Laser cutting the plastic covers for bots: last missing piece

Laser cutting all 6 robots 

Inspiration Introbot V2. Outer shell design

Laser cutting final iteration on the skeleton design before producing all 6 bots. New hole for the switch was made as well as adjusted precuts for the screws for the Arduino attachment to base of the chassis.

We had to use rubber bands twice folded in order to get enough tension for the bumper, however, it seems it is perhaps way too much. Therefore, we will have to look for the different size of the rubber bands. 

Soldering Inteobots for the workshop

After assembling and assessing the bumper design, we saw that the bumper diameter size could definitely be reduced. 

Laser cutting the new bumper design

The focus of Studio Drift’s work is on the changing relationships between man, nature and technology. Their work engages with themes such as the (illusion) of freedom, the individual versus the group, and the tension between the real and the virtual world. They manifest natural processes by translating the data through technology and ‘breathe life into’ objects by animating them. Many of their installations are interactive, making the viewer a participant in the work.

The first protoboard was successfully soldered and tested. All the main components of the bot work as we could see and test with this test code:https://github.com/gabipratt/unit3/blob/master/Sicily_assembly_test/Sicily_assembly_test/Sicily_assembly_test.ino The only thing that seems to be not working is the button switch for the different personalities that we wanted to add to be able to change personality without having to re-upload a code to the bot.  There is probably mistake in the placement of the button soldered to the board.

Preparing for the workshop in Sicily, we are rebuilding the bots V1 into more sturdier and durable ones.  We have worked with Marcus on the first example. Instead of having everything connected to a breadboard, this time we are creating protoboard shield that clicks on top of Arduino Leonardo and the Arduino motor shield. All the separate components have attachments to breadboard, so they are easily detachable and exchangeable. 

Moodboards are portraying my own visual and aesthetical interpretation of stress and burnout. Full collection can be found on pinterest: https://www.pinterest.dk/prattingerova/burnout/?eq=bur&etslf=3940