Michael Ang

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Hydrobot Progress

LEMUR, NIME, School February 21st, 2006

Some progress on the Hydrobot front. My thinking now is that I want to move the water more, and have the movement be more visible. The goal is to make the bot be itself a performer, and that requires the audience to understand what the bot is doing and have a feeling of tension. The audience should be amazed when the bot pulls off the performance.

The new idea is a bot in the form of an octopus or squid. The sound would be generated by spraying high pressure water onto tuned metal pipes. I’m not sure if this will actually work — experimentation is necessary.

Here is the concept drawing (click to view images fullsize):
Octo overview

Closeup of one of the pipe resonators. A solenoid valve controls a spray of water onto the resonator. A return hose brings water back to the pump.
Resonator closeup

Squid configuration. Resonator are arranged around a central pipe and empty into a single catchbasin/return system. The water dripping/spraying down from the tubes will be visible to the audience.
Squid on a stick

The main question at this point is what it will sound like. Time to rent a pressure washer and scrounge some pipe!

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