Runaway Alarm Clock Theme Board

Runaway Alarm Clock Mood Board

Robotic Insects Research

Here are a articles I found on line that lead me believe in the next few decades the technology will be available to make the Runaway Alarm Possible.

Insect Robot Research

How to make the insect climb walls

James Cameron created a Titanic-sized stir when he invested in Planetary Resources Inc., an asteroid mining operation co-chaired by personal spaceflight pioneers Peter Diamandis and Eric Anderson. While Planetary Resources might have an abundance of money (the company also counts Google’s Larry Page and Eric Schmidt as investors) and imagination, the actual technology to mine asteroids doesn’t exist… yet.

Enter the humble housefly. The reason it can climb vertically is because it has tiny claw-like structures at the end of its legs that grip irregularities in the wall that are too small for us to see. The same principle could prove very useful for exploring small bodies in space that are short on gravity.

 “Crawling around on an asteroid or comet is more like climbing than it is walking because if you flip over, you fall off the asteroid and float away,” says Aaron Parness of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

The idea is to equip a robot with four pairs of legs, each equipped with an “omni-directional anchoring mechanism.” Think of it as a robotic version of an insect leg. Each one is equipped with 750 microspines, all with their own suspension structure so they can be dragged across surfaces until their hooks snag tiny irregularities in a rocky surface.

The robot would walk by moving one leg at a time while the other three are firmly set. The anchor is so strong that it can withstand the force exerted by an attached drill, making the technology perfect for obtaining core samples — both for NASA research purposes and to search asteroids for valuable minerals that a company like Planetary Resources might be interested in.

The technology could also help scientists study Mars.

“Some of the most interesting sites that we’ve seen from orbit have been the crater walls,” says Parness. “The rovers that we have up there and the ones that we are sending right now, they are not going to be able to access those kind of samples.”

Climbing rovers could also potentially explore lava tubes, taking samples deep underground where radiation isn’t as likely to have erased signs of past life. Not that the omni-directional anchor’s usefulness is limited to space; Parness also hopes to help out biologists in the Mojave Desert and Hawaii who need help collecting microbial samples from caves that are too treacherous for them to climb down into themselves.

Also interested in utilizing microspines: hardcore rock climbers, who could use them to climb up cliffs like Spiderman. Technically feasible, yes, but it’s unlikely the technology would ever be cheap enough for recreational use. Another wild idea is to use the anchors to tow small asteroids in between the Earth and the Moon, making it easier for us to mine their minerals.

Sound a little too much like science fiction? Parness has already built four legs and is just trying to figure out how to coordinate them with JPL’s 17.6-pound Lemur lib  robot. It might take a while before it’s in space, let alone hauling asteroids through the solar system, but a prototype could be climbing up a wall on Earth by as early as this summer.

http://techland.time.com/2012/05/23/how-insect-inspired-legs-could-help-robots-walk-on-asteroids/

Accessed on 18th December 2012.

Robot Legs

While you won’t see this robot buzzing from building to building in your city, you may witness it working to help rescue people and save lives. Built by a group of researchers based at Osaka University in Japan, it was inspired by the team’s observations of animals in nature. Borrowing from the body structures of different animals, the group created a robot that is extremely versatile in real world applications.

Developed specifically with search-and-rescue operations in mind, the arachnid looking robot is omni-directional and ignorant of the fact that it has two sides, so that if you flip the robot over, it will simply reverse the position of its legs and keep moving towards its destination. In addition, it has the ability to flatten its legs out via four joints. When the robot is flattened, it has the ability to fit through tight spaces using wheels that can be installed in the bottom of each leg. With the recent earthquakes in Japan, a machine like this could be handy to get supplies and camera equipment into survivors.

The possibilities for the use of the robot are myriad. It could be used to help disarm bombs remotely, allowing humans to keep a safe distance. Positioning cameras in hard to reach places for events or surveillance is another use that comes to mind. The device is smart enough that it can pick up objects using two legs and place them on top of itself for transport. The team has even included touch sensors with some versions of the machine to allow for more precise pickups. In addition, the robot can also climb stairs by using two of its legs to pull itself up to the level of a step. The rest of its appendages work to push the weight of the robot up entirely.

There is no word yet as to when the robot will be completed and ready for sale, but from the looks of the video below it won’t be long.

Octopod robots

Octopod robots, as the name suggests, have eight legs just as their counterparts in nature - spiders. The robot you can see in this picture is a senior design project of a group of mechanical engineers led by Ben Axelrod.
The design is quite smart and the possibilities of building upon this kind of design can prove to be useful for various applications such as space exploration, search and rescue missions, etc. The feature I'm particularly amazed about is its three degree of freedom legs. This enables the robot to simulate various gait patterns quite successfully.
If you find this robot interesting, please read the team's report on this robot atBen's site. You may find it interesting to explore Ben's site further. Among other useful things you can find other interesting robotics projects there.
There are also some robotics kits that feature eight-legged robots. Usually these kits aren't as advanced as the above mentioned robot, however, they do have eight legs. Also, I've seen people creating octopod robots using LEGO mindstorms series.

 Centipede robots

As we can see from nature, centipedes have a great level of trafficability. The count of legs as well as the length to width ratio of a creature can be accounted for this ability. That's why centipedes, along with other creatures, are researched and imitated.

Nevertheless, there are some problems that make imitating a centipede a bit tough and possibly disadvantageous. You guessed it - the number of legs. There are designs that use many motors - each for a leg or each for a pair of legs. This has its pros and cons.

The pros are that this design can have many sections that would enable it to be fairly flexible. The cons are the big amount of motors needed that would really complicate the design. The other method would be to use fewer motors and drive the legs using links and cranks.

The above mentioned method is used in this centipede robot kit that you can see in the picture. The kit has two motors that drive two links that are connected with cranks. Legs are connected to the cranks which are positioned at different angles. Thus the wave motion is formed.

This Mechamo Centipede kit is not very cheap but it’s not very expensive too. In my opinion it’s a good value for the money. You can get it for just above one hundred US dollars.

As you can understand, it cannot be very flexible because of the linkage, so the trafficability advantage is absent with this centipede robot design. However, if the body and the links could be made of a flexible material it could be a very good design with many advantages that centipedes created by nature has.

Octopods, centipedes and other robots with more than six legs are a field where much research can still be done. These robot designs can possibly turn out to be very useful for certain applications where wheeled robots are inefective.

http://www.allonrobots.com/octopod.html, Accessed on 18th December 2012.

Avoidance system

How it works

We have already done wall and obstacle detection using switches (the whiskers). However, this can be problematic if you need to detect an obstacle at a distance. This is where the ultrasonic sensor comes into play.

We already know that the ultrasonic sensor can be used to detect objects and measure the distance to them. By using an ultrasonic sensor we can program the robot to avoid them at a variety of distances.

http://www.education.rec.ri.cmu.edu/content/electronics/boe/ultrasonic_sensor/4.html, Accessed on 18th Decemeber 2012.

Modelling

I began trying to model the object.

I saved some test renders to see how the object might look when connected.

Here's one of the main body sections with the connection holes and the beginning of the number section.

Here's a test render for the ball the connects the two body sections.

Here is a test render of the number section of the main body.

These two pictures are test renders of the main body. These also show some early colour ideas.

This a test render of one of the centipedes legs.

The image below is of the completed model.

This image is of the first attempt to place the object in situ. Not happy with the this and will be returning to it. But at the moment having some trouble with texturing the numbers and setting up the in situ scenario. 

No More Morning Mate

I decided against the Morning Mate, instead deciding to return to the Runaway Alarm Clock but this time more focus at children. 

The lower image of the centipede is based on an earlier image I drew and really liked so this became the new Runaway Alarm Clock.

Below I started trying to define the product while also trying out some colour ideas. 

I then started to look at ideas for eyes.

and legs. 

Also defining how the body connects together making it more manoeuvrable.

Morning Mate Timeline

I drew up a morning mate to get an idea of what an average day in the life of the Morning Mate would be.

Infinity Diagram for the Morning Mate

I then drew up a infinity diagram for the Morning Mate to see if it would help me come up with any new ideas.

The Morning Mate

I decided to expand the idea of the Runaway Alarm Clock and make it into a Morning Mate, its not just a alarm clock but something that helps you get through those first 10 or 15 minutes in the morning when your or quite yourself. 

More Runaway Alarm Clock Ideas

I then started to look at a few strange ideas, and some not so strange ideas to see if anything inspired me.

Runaway Alarm Clock

I then decided on doing an alarm clock that you could hit the snooze button on because it will try and stay out of your way. This quickly because the final choice for my project as I just love the idea. Here's my first few ideas.

More Sketch Book Work

I then started to look at ways of improving the wheelchair, trying to imagine what it might be like in the future.

Sketch Book

For this project I began by trying to bring life to inanimate objects.

Project 2

Brief


Living-state products

Our world is filled with inanimate objects that have an increased role in our lives
especially now that they have become smarter. However, although technologically
smart, they remain lifeless and inanimate in their physical interaction and presence.
Identify a product, a product use or identify an unmet need and through investigation
of human anatomy propose conceptual ideas which harness this anatomical life
within the function of the product. Two approaches can be taken, but in each the
aesthetic form of your design must showcase the characterisation of anatomy or
physiology.

1. A specific function of the product has a living attribute of anatomy when in use:
Some products you might consider designing include prosthetics or a syringe for
example. Alternatively they may be products which have an anatomical context but
non-clinical use for example, in sports a heart rate monitor or protective equipment).

2. The product grows or evolves in line with the user’s needs:
Could the product  follow or monitor a child while  they learn to walk. Maybe it is a
‘guardian angel’ product observing the  needs of an aging person, or perhaps  an
evolving product which caters for degeneration or rehabilitation of an individual with a
disease or injury.

Emotion Domain

Here is my text on the Emotion Domain. It describes the relationship someone would have with a product like the Dooer Bringer Getter and also describes some of the products key features.




The emotional domain in product design is essentially how a user feels about a product. This can come in many forms because of the many different ways a user can interact with a product as well as the number of different products that can a person can have emotional feelings about.

For example someone can feel a really strong hatred for guns. If they themselves or someone they are close to has had a traumatic experience involving a gun. On the other hand someone can feel a really close connection to a product. For example if someone who uses a wheelchair or a walking stick, they depend so much on that product that if anything were to happen to it they would be devastated.
This is where my product, The Dooer Bringer Getter, comes in. It is designed as a home helper for the physically disabled or the elderly. Dieter Rams says that “Good design makes a product understandable”, with this mind I wanted the Dooer Bringer Getter to do exactly what it says on the tin. Its main function is to help people get things around their home. For the physically disabled and elderly it can be very difficult moving, The Dooer Bringer Getter is designed to get things around their home so they don’t have to. Donald A. Norman once said “Will robot teachers replace human teachers? No, but they can complement them.” I believe the same can be said about the Dooer Bringer Getter. It hasn’t been designed to replace care nurses, not in the slightest, it’s been design to complement then, easing their work load.

Although small in size, it has been designed with some key features that allow it get almost anywhere. It has four flexible, extendable arms for reaching things on high shelves. It also has two different types of hands. One is vice like grip for carrying bulky items and the others are pincer type grips for carrying more delicate items.

The Dooer Bringer Getter also comes with built in Wi-Fi, an L.C.D. screen and a webcam. This is so it can even bring members of the family to user via Skype.

The product can also charge itself by plugging itself into the mains at the end of the day, so the user the hassle and worry of having to this themselves. With all these features the user would feel a real connection to the Dooer Bringer Getter, they would feel lost and disconnected from the outside without it. I see this product as kind of a useful pet, kind of like a Seeing Eye dog, helping those who cannot help themselves.

Final Model of the Dooer Bringer Getter.

Here's a picture of the final render of the Dooer Bringer Getter. I struggled for a long time to try and texture this model. but after 2 weeks of struggling I didn't get anywhere. I was so disappointed that I couldn't get the textures I had planned. I ended up have to have one solid texture for the different sections, instead of creating my own.

If I get a chance to I plan on going back and texturing this model properly. Still can work out what I doing wrong. So far these problems have continued into my second project for this class. 

Very Early Test Renders of Body Shapes

I quickly put together some body shapes to get an idea of what the body would look like in 3D Max. I was also check to see what they would be like to model.

Grip Influences

I looked at a few different types of mechanical grips to get inspiration for the hands of the character.

Visual Influences

Here's some visual influence of other robots from movies and games that I took inspiration from.