Daniel Bayliss
All projects

03 / Mechanisms / practical fabrication

Animatronic Film Prop.

An animatronic baby bird for a student horror film, using a servo-driven twitching wing linkage and Arduino control.

Project type
[ADD PERSONAL / TEAM]
My role
[ADD YOUR SCOPE]
Tools
Linkages · Arduino · Fabrication
Status / year
[ADD STATUS / YEAR]
Placeholder illustration; replace with a clear hero photo or CAD render of animatronic film prop
Hero image placeholder — [ADD A CAPTION IDENTIFYING THE PHYSICAL BUILD OR CAD VIEW.]

Overview

A practical film prop combining a mechanical wing linkage, servo actuation, Arduino control, sculpting and fabrication. [ADD THE SHOOT CONTEXT, BRIEF AND FINAL BUILD STATUS.]

Problem / objective

[ADD THE REQUIRED MOVEMENT, APPEARANCE, OPERATING CONDITIONS AND PRODUCTION CONSTRAINTS.]

Design requirements

  • Create a twitching wing movement with a servo-driven linkage.
  • Integrate the mechanism with a sculpted practical prop.
  • [ADD SIZE, NOISE, POWER, DURABILITY AND ON-SET CONSTRAINTS.]

Design development

[ADD LINKAGE GEOMETRY, SERVO SELECTION AND HOW THE MOTION WAS TRANSLATED INTO WING MOVEMENT.]

Placeholder; replace with cad / mechanism view — [add what this view shows and the design decision].
CAD / mechanism view — [ADD WHAT THIS VIEW SHOWS AND THE DESIGN DECISION].
Placeholder; replace with sketch, drawing or iteration — [add what changed and why].
Sketch, drawing or iteration — [ADD WHAT CHANGED AND WHY].

Prototyping / manufacturing

[ADD SCULPTING, ACTUATION, CONTROL AND ASSEMBLY STEPS WITH PHOTOS OF THE MECHANISM.]

Placeholder; replace with first build — [add material, method and purpose].
First build — [ADD MATERIAL, METHOD AND PURPOSE].
Placeholder; replace with assembly detail — [add fit or manufacture observation].
Assembly detail — [ADD FIT OR MANUFACTURE OBSERVATION].
Placeholder; replace with revised build — [add what changed].
Revised build — [ADD WHAT CHANGED].

Testing & iteration

[ADD MOTION TESTS, FAILURE MODES, RANGE ADJUSTMENTS AND HOW THE PROP CHANGED BEFORE THE SHOOT.]

Placeholder; replace with before — [add test condition and observed issue].
Before — [ADD TEST CONDITION AND OBSERVED ISSUE].
Placeholder; replace with after — [add modification and retest result].
After — [ADD MODIFICATION AND RETEST RESULT].

Final design / result

[ADD FINAL PROP PHOTOS AND A CONCISE DESCRIPTION OF THE DEMONSTRATED MOTION.]

Placeholder; replace with a photograph of the completed animatronic film prop
Final design — [ADD WHAT IS SHOWN, ITS STATUS AND OUTCOME].

My contribution

[STATE WHICH LINKAGE, CAD, ARDUINO, FABRICATION AND SCULPTING WORK YOU PERSONALLY COMPLETED; CREDIT OTHER CREW MEMBERS.]

Tools & skills

  • Linkage design
  • Arduino
  • Servo actuation
  • Practical fabrication