Fun fact: The Friday before Easter used to be just like any other day of the week. But then they ('they' who? THE GREAT THEY, THAT'S WHO) decided that no, this Friday should be set apart from all the other Fridays of the year. So they tried attaching different names. First was Bad Friday, which […]
Solarbotics at Calgary Comic Expo 2013
Solar botics
April 30, 2013
Whelp, many moons have passed since we posted last time (er, maybe that's a slight exaggeration), and many a thing have happened. We went to Las Vegas to the Magento conference, lasered some ukuleles, but mostly were in a mad rush preparing for the Calgary Comic & Entertainment Expo 2013. We teamed up with a wonderful costume designer and artist Angela Dale to produce wearable pieces that merge electronics and costume design.
Here's the first example - joint effort of Graeme Janzen, Angela Dale and Solarbotics. Custom Fosshape molded helmet is fitted perfectly to the wearer, and 3 layers of lasercut acrylic are edge-lit with 24 high-power white LEDs:
Our Voltron Helmet is based on the Black Lion toy design from Defender of the Universe, a popular cartoon in the mid eighties. Voltron consisted of 5 robot lions that joined together to form a Giant Robot that protected the galaxy from evil doers. The Black Lion in particular is special because it formed the head and torso of the combined Robot Voltron. Since the head had two different modes: Robot and Lion, it was intriguing to try to emulate the two modes as best as we could.
We used an Ardweeny, Multipack, TTLy FTDI, 2 Star Controllers, and 2 HXT900 servos to animate our replica and make it come alive with a few electronic bits. Special thanks to Angela Dale and Robyn Ayles (props designer and full-time faculty at the Mount Royal theater program) for their assistance!
This Chameleon Cocktail Ensemble was created by Angela and her assistants as a part of MakeFashion project. It uses 20 meter of addressable LED strips (add 5 meters in the headdress) powered by 3.7V LiPoly batteries, and ArduinoPro Mini to control the lighting sequences.
We also hosted the Arduino workshop at the Expo, with a slight costuming application bend and many blinky lights...
..and did lots of people watching.
Check out our Flickr photostream for details on more projects and photos!
MORE POSTS
Sumovore Captures 1st at NAIT
From the BEAM mailing list, we're happy to report that Tom Gray managed to win 1st at the NAIT robotics challenge in Edmonton!: "Thanks again to all who endured my wails and made helpful suggestions earlier this year when I couldn't get my BS2 brained Sumovore to run. " "Grant M. of Solarbotics finally traced […]
Robotgames registration is open
The Western Calgary Robot Games is fast approaching. It's held here in our own hometown of Calgary Alberta, and I can tell you that after visiting most of the major competitions on the west coast of North America, it's one of the most prize-generous! The registration page is now open, so get registered and come […]
Wednesday Links: Tetris, Tattoo Music an...
Wednesday's here and we are back with the links of death and depression. I mean, sunshine and happiness, of course. Tetris on the Face of Skyscraper Now the next step would be to play Tetris using skyscrapers... (via Designboom) Robotic Instrument Plays Tattoos as Musical Compositions This is the first time when the musician's repertoire […]
Solarbotics has been operating for more than 25 years, bringing electronics know-how and supplies to both the electronics professional and hobbyist. We'll be happy to help you too!
Solarbotics, Ltd. is not responsible for misprints or errors on product prices or information. For more information, please see our Terms and Conditions.
Warning: This product contains chemicals known to the State of California to cause cancer and birth defects or other reproductive harm.
Please visit www.P65Warnings.ca.gov for more information. This item was manufactured prior to August 31, 2018.