Mechanized Embodiment

Objectives

Our objective was to explore the “organicness” (or lack thereof), movement, heaviness, and materiality of metal using chainmail while exposing the “inner workings” of the machine. Most complex components in today’s world are hidden behind a facade. We wanted to expose the system and logic behind our project to make a statement on how things in today’s world are complex and interesting, yet hidden away and made to look extremely simple.

Implementation

We started with chainmail because of it’s beauty and potential to become a facade. Facades generally allow interaction between the user and one side of the piece. This metal chainmail accompanied by piano wire and foam balls decorated to look metallic provided the “machine” of our project. This “machine” is the kinetic aspect of our project with servos acting as the actuator. As you can see the raw form of the wire to servo connection below, this reinforces the idea that mechanized systems are generally not glued together but rather an intelligent form of material friction.

More specifically, the machine’s layers and supports were designed using CAD and lasercut. The layers were attached to the supports using Acrylic Glue and the piano wire was held in place by acrylic and foam balls. The chainmail was placed over the piano wire and secured using a string called “stretch magic”. The servos were secured using mounting tape and the piano wire rested on the servo arms. The piano wire and servo were not attached using a bonding agent, instead they rely on friction to hold them in place, while allowing freedom of motion at the joint when the servos as moving. The servos were controlled using an Arduino Uno to create the organic feeling to the inorganic machine, as shown in the video below. The Arduino code also contains other functions to give the machine other feelings (not demonstrated).

Outcomes

The machine is able to give the audience the feeling of a living organism through its staccato motions, while exposing the “inner workings” the provide life to the organism. This allows the audience to contemplate what the philosophical distinction between an organic and inorganic item actually is. The feeling of the living organism is also enhanced and attracts the attention from others using the sound created by the servos, giving a voice to the machine. With minor changes, the machine also allows for exploration of other areas, such as the physicality of waves and simple entertainment when a model person is “surfing” on the chainmail (as shown in the video).

Photo Documentation

Video Documentation

Provide a link to a brief video which clearly shows the context and function of the project.  Please limit it to no more than 2 minutes.  Please follow basic production techniques so these videos can be viewed comfortably at large scale: use a tripod or Magic Arm to stabilize the camera, shoot landscape (not portrait), and include natural sound.  Titles and credits are suggested but not required.

Technical Documentation