Welcome to: The Robotorium: March 2017

Wednesday, March 29, 2017

My Vision, Defined by a 3 year old.

This video has been running around the inter-web for a day or so. I found it via Boing Boing, a blog I frequent, and recommend. First off, this is really funny, and cute and adorable. But it also captures much of how I feel about the robots I build, there is clearly joy in this young lady as she stumbles across a mechanical friend while going for a walk. There is also the absurdity, from an adult perspective, that its a water heater, one with personality, but still a water heater! A great hulking inert thing that came alive, for a moment, because a little girl went for a walk.

Rayna, I do not know who you are, but you ROCK!

Thursday, March 23, 2017

Newest Addition

I finished this one up this week. I stumbled across 9 old Weston ammeters and got a good deal on them. They make a great platform to build on, I had done two using similar gauges that I got from my friend Amina. I posted about them here. With this one I kept the skeletal nature of the arms the same as before, but added a light in the head. I wanted this one to fit in with the other 2 and I think it does nicely.

Wednesday, March 1, 2017

February Break

Teaching is a good but demanding job, the breaks, when they come, are much needed. Its kind of like performing all day long, a rest from being "on" all the time can often be vital. So Feb break was both restful and an opportunity to finish some projects.

This one is just about 3 feet tall, hence the photo in the kitchen, instead of an all neutral background. I love the way this one came out - it makes me laugh.

This one is less than a foot. I love the presence these have, I try to imbue them all with a sense of personality. Most of the times I think I manage to do it.

Artists Statement

Robots, the future was supposed to be full of them. I grew up in the shadow of the Apollo program, transfixed as massive machines left Pad 39A, rising on a pillar of fire. I drank up every episode of The Thunderbirds, Star Trek, Creature Double Feature and Dr. Who. I devoured Asimov, Clark and Heinlein. They showed me a future of great adventure and promise, all accompanied by a faithful metal companion; not a Roomba or a self-driving car. While cool, they lack the reassuring yet potentially sinister metal gleam of Robby, or B9 from Lost in Space. They do not lurch from task to task or generate massive electrical arcs. They are not imbued with superhuman strength, and are missing the frightening single-mindedness of Gort or The Terminator.

I have always loved building things. So, given the robotless state of my present, I grabbed a screwdriver and drill and took remnants from the past to make my missing future. I see potential creations in stuff that gets thrown away. I love the machine age look of polished aluminum, wrinkle finished paint, and Bakelite. I look for parts that complement each other. Using cast-offs from a time before transistors, I try to create something with an aesthetic unity. I want my robots to look like they have been used and worked, while broadcasting a personality and sense of presence. I want them to look real, that’s important. Most of all, when I’m done, I want to look at them and laugh. With each creation I get a little closer to the dreams I had as a boy, a little closer to the future I imagined. Step into The Robotorium and let me share with you the way it all could have been.