SHAWN COLLINS FX
Specimen #1
I have made lots of of light following robots out of junk and a handful of photocells. I always thought simple robotics had potential when it came to making interactive props and...well thoroughly creeping everyone out.
There's nothing remotely terrifying about these photos at all.
I almost always try to start with a sketch like this before I start.
Specimen #1 is that theory put into action. Driven by an arduino and two photocells, this creepy installation snarls and gnashes it's teeth in response to the light source. I really like simple analog sensors. The movement is less predictable and makes it a bit more lively. In spite of using sensors and microcontrollers on my projects, I do usually try to keep things pretty simple most of the time.
That being said, allow me to contradict what I just said with this vaguely human shaped bundle of wires and plastic.
Here's an early test vid before I did any wire organization or aesthetic work
The real work for this project was the actual fabrication. It's built out of 3D printed parts designed in Autodesk Inventor, and a modifed halloween skeleton torso, along with some sculpted, molded and cast silicone pieces. The rotten fruit still life decorating the base is a bit of a Joel Peter Witkin reference.
I decided to create this bandaged torso basically because I felt a bit Like Frankenstein just getting started. I only seemed suiting that I make something akin to a rejected experiment, and it allowed me to poke fun at the project itself. I have found it really helps get things finished if you don't take it too seriously.
Here's a video in under a more normal lighting condition, before the base was painted.