Vinny Animatronics 2014
Sergeant Vincent DeVet aka Vinny was my entry for the 2014 National Technology Student Association Animatronics Competition. This project earned me my second national championship in animatronics. Vinny was inspired by all of the veterans that fought in World War II. I felt that since the number of WWII veterans is becoming less and less I felt that Vinny could pass on the stories of these war heroes. Vinny gives first hand accounts of significant days during the war. This manner of story telling gives life and personality to historical events. Vinny was the beginning of my love for entertainment. He provided me an outlet to tell a story. In this project I did everything. I provided him a voice, painted his face, crafted his environment, programmed his movements and developed a set of stories for him to tell. This project is by far my favorite project. This is because I was able to develop this character from start to finish. The main thing I learned from this project was that its all about the story. If your story is high quality, everything else will fall into place. I believe this to be true within all entertainment, its all about the story and how its told.
Vinny Animatronic
BLUE MAN ANIMATRONICS 2015
This project was my entry for the 2015 National Technology Student Association (TSA) Animatronics competition. In the fall of 2014 I traveled with my family to Las Vegas. Being 17 at the time I wasn't able to do much. But, I was able to see some spectacular performances and partake in unforgettable experiences. One of these experiences was seeing the Blue Man Group. I absolutely loved their show. It was a perfect mix of musical talent, comedy, and mystery. This show is what inspired my animatronic. Before I began work though, TSA rules require that any copy-written material must be used with expressed permission. So, to abide by this rule I reached out to the Blue Man Group and received their permission to use their likeness for my project. I was so excited when I received their letter of permission and began work right away. I first researched more into the group and found that one of their signature items where PVC pipe drums. I felt the only appropriate animatronic would be a Blue Man playing a PVC drum kit. This project included lights, sounds, motion, and sensors that together made a worthy performance. This project earned 2nd Place at the conference. Throughout this project I learned about animatronics, robotics, programming, and simple hydraulics.