Crafting a Raven: An Animatronic Assistant

From Inspiration to Creation

Inspired by a myriad of online tutorials, I embarked on an ambitious project: to bring to life an animatronic raven. Using Fusion 360 for the design, and a combination of servo motors, 3D printing, wires, and feathers, my goal was to create not just a mechanical bird but a personal assistant with a twist – one that could interact using ChatGPT, powered by a Raspberry Pi and a microphone. This prototype was made in my function as researcher on the project The Psycholudic Approach at the University Of Applied Arts Vienna.

The Challenge of Realism

The most challenging part of this endeavor wasn’t the electronics or the coding; it was the feathers. Achieving the sleek, dark elegance of a raven’s plumage proved more difficult than anticipated. Initially, my attempts resulted in something that resembled a chicken more than the intended raven. The texture, the color, the density – every aspect needed careful consideration to avoid a poultry faux pas.

Integration and Interaction

Integrating the animatronic raven with ChatGPT was a journey into the unknown. The Raspberry Pi served as the brain, allowing real-time interaction and enabling the raven to become a personal assistant. With a microphone incorporated, it was designed to listen and respond, bringing a unique attitude to daily interactions. This wasn’t just about creating a robotic bird; it was about crafting a companion, one with the capability to surprise and engage in meaningful ways.

Feathers: The Final Frontier

Mastering the art of applying feathers was a painstaking process. Each feather had to be carefully selected, trimmed, and attached to convey the authentic look and feel of a raven’s plumage. This meticulous process was critical in transforming a 3D-printed structure into a lifelike creature. The distinction between a convincing raven and a chicken imposter lay in the details of this featherwork.

Conclusion: A Raven Reborn

The journey to create an animatronic raven was filled with challenges and learning opportunities. From design and mechanics to the final feathered touches, every step was a lesson in patience, precision, and persistence. The result? A personal assistant unlike any other, ready to interact with a hint of avian attitude. This project was a reminder that in the realm of creation, it’s the unexpected hurdles that often lead to the most innovative solutions.

Crafting a Raven: An Animatronic Assistant

Starting the Setup

In the universe of DIY and making things by hand, combining Raspberry Pi 2 W with Arduino opens many doors. My recent adventure involved making Raspberry Pi 2 W talk to Arduino, and this process, it was smooth and full of joy.

SSH Magic

For the beginning, I set up Raspberry Pi 2 W to work without its own screen or keyboard. Using SSH (Secure Shell), I could program and control it from another computer in my network. This way of doing things made the work more tidy and gave me freedom in my workspace.

Mini Monitor, Big Fun

A very special part was adding a tiny monitor that can mount on the Raspberry Pi. This small thing changed a lot, giving a direct look at what’s happening without a big monitor. It was practical and added fun to my project, making interactions with the device more direct and playful.

Arduino Integration

Bringing Arduino into the mix with Raspberry Pi 2 W was like combining best friends – Raspberry Pi’s brainy powers with Arduino’s ability to feel and control the world. This combination allowed for cleverer and more together electronics projects, easy enough for beginners but still interesting for those who know more.

Reflections on Making

Looking back, it’s amazing how making integrated electronics is now a thing of joy and not just hard work. Today, with tools like Raspberry Pi and Arduino, anyone with a bit of curiosity and patience can bring complex ideas to life. The simplicity of programming and the magic of controlling these devices from afar open a world of creativity and new ideas in DIY electronics.

Raspberry Pi 2 W Meets Arduino: A Fun Journey

Wireless Wonders

Wireless power isn’t just for our phones anymore. My latest tinkering takes this marvel into the realm of wood, embedding electronics to create enchanting luminous effects. Imagine wood, so still and silent, suddenly aglow – magic?

Unexpected Glow

The heart of the experiment? Wireless LEDs. No wires, no visible power source, just the warm, unexpected light emerging from within the wood. It challenges what we expect from materials as old and as natural as wood, turning ordinary objects into sources of wonder. At the heart of this enchanting experiment are coils, discreetly nestled within the wood. These coils are the secret to transferring power without wires, enabling LEDs embedded in the wood to light up as if by magic.

Touch and See

This journey into wireless power and LEDs is more than a technical challenge; it’s about playing with the tactile and visual expectations. Wood, known for its solidity and quiet beauty, now surprises us, lighting up our surroundings in a way that feels like magic.

Brief Conclusion

Experimenting with wireless power in wood has opened a new chapter in how we interact with our environment. It’s a reminder that even the most traditional materials can become conduits for innovation and magic, creating moments of joy and wonder in our everyday lives.

Magic in the Wood: Wireless LEDs

As a researcher at the University of Applied Arts Vienna, I have dedicated my efforts to the ongoing development of specialized controllers and sensors. These prototypes possess the capability to efficiently collect and relay data while seamlessly interfacing with a diverse range of other technologies. These encompass web-based applications, immersive game engines, and an array of other digital platforms.

More than 10 controllers have been produced utilizing tailor-made PCBs. Initially, we prototyped the boards and tested them extensively. Subsequently, I utilized Fritzing to design the PCBs, ensuring their aesthetic appeal aligns with the intention of showcasing them as artifacts during exhibitions. Following this, all the components were soldered onto the boards, and these finished products were not only presented to students but also actively featured in various exhibitions.

Ludic Hardware Experiments

To create personalized controllers, I acquired a Shapeoko CNC machine capable of working with various materials like wood and acrylics. Combining this with a laser cutter, I engraved text onto the wooden surfaces. Additionally, I utilized the machine to craft intricate components for small furniture items.

To further enhance my projects, I also explored the integration of electronics with the wooden interfaces. This combination would add an extra layer of functionality to my custom controllers, elevating their design and utility. It is my goal to blend the warmth of natural materials with the sophistication of modern electronics.

The Shapeoko 4 XXL is a powerful desktop CNC machine that allows both hobbyists and professionals to create intricate projects. However, setting up this impressive machine requires some thought and effort.

The Shapeoko is a large machine, and it requires a strong, stable surface to operate effectively. Building a custom wooden table provided the ideal foundation for the CNC machine. Here’s what I needed to consider:

High density MDF for the tabletop for durability and excellent vibration absorption.

Reinforcement of the table with sturdy legs and cross-bracing. This will help to keep the table stable and reduce the chance of movement during operation.

Dimensions of the table. Ensuring that there’s enough space to accommodate the entire CNC, as well as any additional equipment I may need.

Noise during operation – which could be a concern for the neighbors. Therefore the idea is, in addition to adding rubber feet to machine, building a soundproof enclosure.

Adequate lighting – an LED strip and webcam will be placed inside the enclosure for optimal safety and precision.

CNC Experiments

As a part of my role as university assistant at the Experimental Game Cultures department @ University Of Applied Arts Vienna I created the first edition of our Game Design Club. In these sessions, the students create playable prototypes after an introductory talk about game design methodology, a discussion of different design mindsets and analysis of existing games.
This is a hands-on collaboration, we playtest each others projects and iterate on our ideas.

The sessions themselves are playful and have constraints/rules. These are set in place in order to facilitate creativity and avoid blank-page paralysis. For the theoretical part of these sessions we look at chapters from such books as “Game Design Workshop”, “A Theory Of Fun For Game Design”, “Rules Of Play”, “The Art Of Game Design”, and many more.

The main goals of these practical get togethers are:

Gaining confidence in the methodology of game design

Discussing different design mindsets

Creating playable prototypes

Playtesting & Iterating on ideas

Game Design Club @ Experimental Game Cultures

AI systems (Artificial Intelligent System – i.e. computer programs with artificial intelligence) free us from choice. Both from the “agony of choice” between contents and from democratic political choice. How do we deal with such systems? How do we stop being benevolently liberated?

We enter a spatialized labyrinth. We know a mirror cabinet from the Prater in Vienna since childhood. Today we know Face Recognition from everyday life, when opening the smartphone and the banking app. When we apply for a loan, our creditworthiness is checked by AI Statemachines.

Neuromatic Game Art – 2023

In this project I was responsible for the development of a web-technology based face recognition system, that interfaces between 7 Linux based computers as well as 2 Raspberry Pi Pico based sensors. Technologies used were Javascript (Node.js, Faceapi.js) and Python (Raspberry).

https://www.oho.at/programm/ai-labyrinth

https://www.bvz.at/oberwart/ausstellungseroeffnung-im-oho-eroeffnet-am-11-maerz-ein-labyrinth-mit-kuenstlicher-intelligenz-oberwart-357876891

[A]I Maze

A recent prototype included the building of a live polling app to use for live-feedback in presentations:

One of the pages is for entering data and uses the “fingerprint” of the browser to remember who posted the data. The second page is to display the results from an internal JSON file.

The technologies used are PHP and Javascript, libraries include JQuery, Chart.js, Bootstrap.

Live Polling App

A recent experiment – the goal was to connect a physical device (in this case, the Raspberry Pi Pico W) to the internet and send data to a database. Everything is coded from scratch, to allow for most flexilibility.

The Raspberry Pi connects to the local Wifi (could therefore also be run with a battery) and collects data. After a certain amount of time it calls a URL to send the data. On this website a Server running Express and Node awaits – it then stores the data to a database.

What you can see below is a data file that shows several entries made by the Raspberry:

This could have several uses, but the main function I see is collecting data in the physical space to storing it securily on the cloud.

Raspberry To Database

In a performative game with anti-game mechanics, we demonstrate appropriation, appropriation as one inherent in subversive play with technologies. Form of art. The former Postsparkasse ticket hall becomes Shannon’s labyrinth.

In the situational game with dynamic AI mechanics, we and you enjoy between Board game and artistically situated play distributed in the room: the transparency of the glass house, drones, white rabbits, the interlude in year one Experimental Game Cultures: the one way out/out of the labyrinth of the Savings Bank – in which it is blurred whether we play seriously, train AI or the game plays us…