Solar Ecologies - 2018

TAgs

Rapid-Kinetic kit, Solar Powered Robots: Resource Constrained Interactivity (Thesis)

description

To showcase the potentials of Rapid-Kinetic kit, ‘Solar Ecologies’, a site-specific sculpture, explores the relationship between solar energy and the Hackney River lee canals. Inspired by the biological behaviour of plants and flower petal movements and their ability to adapt to light in different lighting conditions, three structures harness solar power from the sun during the day, and at night act as beacons of light along the canal. The structure is entirely constructed using the Rapid Kinetic kit of parts, Rapid Kinetic pneumatic muscles, aluminium beams and lightweight minimal tensile surface.

ENErgy balance, a compromise between energy accumulated and actuations

Solar ecologies project reflects the research that has been examined during my thesis. The study focuses on the relationship between renewable resource powered robots and energy consumption, investigating on strategies for actuators and behaviours that extend and prolong opportunities for object-to-subject interaction. Specifically, the research analyses the hardware components of a solar powered pneumatic system, driven by artificial muscles, and try to increase the energy conservation through different solutions. The energy can be guarantee only through solar panels, leading to a more autonomous system, trying to find a balance between the energy it collects, along several variables, and the energy it spends. Moreover, software strategies are examined to increase endurance and longevity given to a resource constrained mobile robot by introducing biologically inspired behaviours. For more detailed informations, check here.

Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)