Week 8

Summary:

• Latex Mask is Here!
• Platform Dimensions
• Photoresistor Implementation
• Reset Button
• K'NEX Head Piece Reconfigured
• Eye Mechanisms 

Welcome back! 

We're getting down to the last few weeks of this project and the sense of urgency is off the charts. 

All Hail Katherine Comisac, First of Her Name, Mother of Dragon!

Fortunately, the latex mask finally was finished and revealed to the group and the rest of the class!

There are a few pockets where the liquid latex did not dry completely but Kate will work on smoothing it out and detailing the mask this weekend. She also successfully cut holes in the mask for the eyelid mechanism to go, which we also figured out this past week.

We also decided the dimensions of the board all of the electrical components and dragon head would go; Sean cut us a board of 46x46cm. Meanwhile, we faced a predicament with the ultrasonic sensor in the mouth. Because it is such a narrow distance, it will be difficult to achieve accurate readings when someone places their hand inside the mouth. To solve this, we decided to monitor the voltage readings of the photoresistor using a white led. When someone places a hand in the jaw, the led-photoresistor path is darkened, which we will use to trigger the servo motor to close the jaw on the hand.

Sticking with the electrical talk, we will also implement a reset button that will return all mechanisms to its starting position. We tested it today with a simple circuit.

There is also a slight concern that Kate's latex mask will be too small for the original K'NEX structure Pete built. So, Pete checked out a bag of pieces and started building a new structure. 

To create the eyelid mechanism, we sliced a ping pong ball into a hemisphere to make the eye and used a quarter of another to create the eyelid covering. Attached is a small video of the way the mechanism works.