Pod Cast Evaluation

At the start of the digital cultures brief the question was to pick a technology that would create an effect in Ubiquitous city like Leeds in the future. Instead of just writing an essay we were asked to make a visual pod cast. At first I had no idea in what to research and kept on putting of the subject. Soon after while looking on you tube I watched a video on Asimo. This was the Japanese Humanoid robot created by the car company Honda. I thought it fascinating how agile and smart the robot was and originally thought it was a child in a small suit after realising this then led me looking at other different types of robots. This then gave me the idea of what I was going to pick as pod cast, robotics.
As I started researching I realised that companies were experimenting with robotics and had built a prototype and just thought of them being really basic and barley movable. After reading a little about them I never realized how advanced they were actually becoming and how quick they could make in impact on the planet.
Breaking away from this I first looked at the start at the inspirations and designs of how the thought of robots came around. I found out they began in movies and the first was a German film called Metropolis in 1927. This was created to give an n idea of what life would be like in the future as well. Other similar films were then created soon after like The Day the Earth Stood Still, Star Wars and I Robot. I also began looking at household new technology advances and child’s toys like the kind that are shown on television adverts. I found about the I Robot Hoover that’s a self cleaning vacuum which uses censors and the Wowwee company that creates the interactive Robosapian. Continuing the search I looked at different robotics that are helping the world today and found the bomb disposal units used in the army. What I found was that robots used from the 1970’s till now has not much has really changed. After feeling disappointed I then referred back to the humanoid robots like Asimo looking more at what functions they have and other types can do. Here I found the Toyota robots where they are physical able to play musical instrument like the trumpet and violin.
When I collected all my research I had found I first wrote it all up as an essay where I added my opinions in it. From here I transferred the writing from my essay to at&t demo so that it could be spoken instead. I also didn’t particularly want to be in the pod cast my self. This process took a lot longer the expected as the demo could only pick up a few lines at a time. I eventually copied to become a woman’s voice, as it was clearer than the men’s. I then added the speech files to final cut, as I didn’t quite get how to use PowerPoint as movie. To fill in the video I just added still pictures from research to fit the speaking to finish it off. Although the next day I realised I did not save my project properly and lost the whole thing, so I had to repeat the process again, At times it was frustrating and it made me lose interest a little. Overall I did enjoy researching and shocked to see how fast robotics was evolving.

Robotics podcast

Animation Characters

Azimo

In Japan, companies like Toyota and Sony have created their own robot prototypes. Some of the main functions that these robots can do are to play musical instruments like the violin but the popular robot Azimo is highly multifunction. Created in the year 2000 by Honda after several attempts at designing and different models Azimo is now at its best. It has a built in camera in its head and can recognize a massive amount of multiple moving objects knowing the distance and direction of where they are. He can see the majority of the environment around him such as stairs and other uneven surfaces and avoids knocking into them or falling. He also can identify unusual sounds knowing if something may be harmful or not. An amazing feature about Azimo is that once a persons name and face is registered into his system he then has the ability to recognize their faces by memory and will greet them. When responding to a question or gesture Azimo faces the person and speaks directly back to them of if not that he shakes their hand or gives them nod to show he’s acknowledged them. The Internet can also be connected to Azimo and he can provide information about the news and weather updates.

robot dog

Second Life Opinion

When setting up the Second Life I first found quite impressive when customizing your character as it has quite a wide range of templates when changing the appearance. As it is a free internet interactive world and not a Playstation 3 game I found the graphics to be okay and the world itself is massive, reaching anything and anyone. It’s Similar to Facebook but more open and 3D. You are able to move around freely and fly. Objects can also be created such as your very own house and pool and interests and work can be advertised for others to see. Although I liked it at the start, after playing about an hour of second life and I soon lost interest and became bored from it. The characters movements become limited and apart from talking and basic movements, there are not really many other things that the person can do, which makes your personality the same as everybody else’s. Like World of Warcraft and other interactive games some violence should be added. Not heavily but I do think some sort of Fighting should be included, maybe from weapons, magic or maybe just by punching. It gives more off excitement and this would show anyone else if you like them or not and what your like.

Animation interest

I saw this from browsing through youtube and found it to be highly imaginative and i think its excellent how one image develops into somthing else. this gives me ideas for my animation breif.



Whats fascinating about Beowolf is that the characters are of real actors and they have then been captured as three dimensional. This gives of more details than normal CGI films making the clothing and skin expressions more life like.

Animation Choice

I have chosen to base my animation on Marvel Comics as i have had always keen interest in the topic. From when i was young i watched the Spiderman and X men cartoons and often bought the weekly comics. I picked Marvel because of the massive amount of characters Stan Lee has created. From his ideas id like to use my own style of drawing to make my own cartoons

Telematics and vicarious experience

Telematics is where a person can perform a movement and then that movement is then transferred to another location. it is commonly tested and used in the world of online gaming where people can experience action from somewhere else. Similar to simulation anyone can try the vicarious experience as all the rules will be the same for everyone from gravity and there own surroundings. games have been created for players to explore and look around giving them choices to pick and continue. i think this gives a little more excitement than just playing from a joy pad. Like the technology that is used to present the weather i think some sort of blue sheet is involved to create the background and computer world and the person is stood in front.

hotdog animatic

Leatherface, freddy krugger caricature

These are two of six cartoons which were origionally designed for a horror poster breif.
I first drew these by hand using pencil and pen and then i photoshopped it to add colour and effects.

my montage

i did this in photoshop
these are examples of different things that interest me from films to music