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Mechanizing a BJD

Dec 28, 2012

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    1. ~Mechanizing a BJD~
      What if your doll could move, either on its own via software, or with remote controls?
      Does anyone happen to know how difficult it would be to motorize one of these buggers? I'd seen BJDs around Deviantart for a few years, but really got into them after watching Chobits and deciding that I wanted a Sumomo, too.
      The technology is out there, but I don't think it's small enough to fit in the empty spaces of BJDs yet =/

      What are your thoughts?
       
      #1 Qwuilleran, Dec 28, 2012
    2. I think there are small enough electronics to mechanize BJD :) But I think there's a pretty advanced engineering skill to get them to do anything more complicated than very basic movements.

      This has already been done, for example:
      [video=youtube_share;lT6VGzD0j3c]http://youtu.be/lT6VGzD0j3c[/video]
       
      #2 Anneke, Dec 28, 2012
    3. If I recall correctly, that dancing DD was actually an already-existing robot with DD parts (head, hands, etc) added onto it, and then dressed in a DD outfit. So it wasn't a mechanized BJD so much as it was a BJD-ized robot. This is somewhat apparent if you look at the legs in the video, especially the knees and lower legs.
       
      #3 Kiyakotari, Dec 28, 2012
    4. hehe, that's really cool, though
      thanks guys
      maybe I'll make one one day
       
      #4 Qwuilleran, Dec 29, 2012
    5. Yes! I was reading a post similar to this earlier today about dolls having souls and being able to move and talk. If there was someone who invented a way to wire a BJD so they could be electronic and move and speak like Persocoms or Rozen Maiden Dolls I would save all of my money for it to be done on one of my dolls.
       
      #5 Mikuru, Dec 29, 2012
    6. To be honest it would freak me out, but it sounds like something my husband would do.
       
      #6 The_Modern_Maiden, Dec 29, 2012
    7. before I got into BJDs I was in the process of collecting the materials to turn a simple Android phone into a stuffed doll with a faceplate that would read my messages, send texts, make calls, and go to sleep via voice commands, with the touchscreen phone interface hidden by some clothes in the back. I got all the ingredients and most of the software, but then I got sucked into the BJD hobby :(

      I'd have to go back to the drawing board to turn a (most likely 70cm or larger) BJD into a PC/PDA (I'd dress him up like a butler XD )
       
      #7 Qwuilleran, Dec 29, 2012
    8. #8 Stabbington, Dec 29, 2012
    9. That would be so cool! I would love that! Well maybe a little movement like those tiny furreal baby animals. Just slight body movement to make them even more cute. ^^
       
      #9 Gintsumi, Dec 29, 2012
    10. Wouldn't that be something like animatronics? You would have to make the 'robot' parts first, then stick them inside the doll parts. From what I gather. I've seen people build amazing things.
       
      #10 XpHoBiaX, Dec 30, 2012
    11. I think an actual resin doll would be a bit heavy to mechanize. If you take a mechanical doll apart, usually the inner workings are wire that's easily moved by clockwork-type mechanisms, with the wires concealed by a costume and only the head and hands being made of more substantial material and attached to the ends of the wires. Antique automatons are made like that, with the inner workings made of metal and wire, and the head and hands made of paper mache or bisque.
       
      #11 linakauno, Dec 30, 2012
    12. #12 sukeban, Dec 30, 2012
    13. I think this is a fantastic idea. I've been looking into this kind of stuff not only for dolls but also because I've been trying to super mod my 2012 furby to have a bit more function than his initial programming. A BJD with robotics inside would be so fantastic and the possibilities with that are endless with the amount of programming and AI software that is available now.

      Anyways, before I totally geek out...

      If anyone ever DOES manage this or finds some new leads on ways to do this, I will be exited to find out!
       
      #13 MutantPaperClip, Jan 9, 2013
    14. Thanks for the Makie link, sukeban :) I was looking into Arduino and Raspberry Pi to do just that
       
      #14 Qwuilleran, Jan 9, 2013
    15. That would be cool. I think, if you wanted to mechanize an existing resin doll, it would probably be easier with something like a Dollmore Lusion (Dahlia, Daish - 80cm, Jude - 105cm). I held one at a meet once and remember it being lighter than I expected. There is probably more room inside one to insert electronics, or probably thick enough resin that you could bore it out to make extra room if needed.

      My biggest worry would be heat from joint mechanics or power packs melting or otherwise warping the resin.
       
      #15 Kymera, Jan 9, 2013
    16. Unless all the motors were housed in thermo-dense or liquid-cooled pouches, or maybe the wires encased in a nylon mesh. Until recently, I didn't know resin had such a slim operating threshold.
      With a larger doll, there certainly would be more room for components... Start big; build to smaller
       
      #16 Qwuilleran, Jan 10, 2013
    17. hmm, saw this guy who installed a MP3 player in his dollfie with the Miku Hatsune's clothing. This is what "kakarototo" said:
      I bulid her with Volks Dollfie deam body and head the wig was a custom made also the clothing and i installed an mp3 player inside her.

      Anyone knows how to do that?? Here is the link to video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XNS2IWbtsqM
       
      #17 aurora.light, Jan 10, 2013
    18. I've always fantasized about doing that.

      Instead of string what would hold the doll together would be a flexible skeleton that would move via a remote control. I don't know the feasibility of this but I think that would be really cool.
       
      #18 keyblade master, Jan 12, 2013
    19. If you could get the wiring streamlined enough, or even attach receivers to each of the joints that would respond to signals sent from the "brain cavity," you might be able to fit it in a typical bjd. If worse came to worse, carve out the back of the chest cavity and backpack a case into it
      of course this is all just speculation until I can get into the robotics program at university, but my courses are nowhere near electrical engineering in course listing =/

      6am psycho-babble: At what point do we realize just how complicated organic beings are, with their brains of meat and bodies that expire and high maintenance costs; when do we become the gods of our creations or realize how awesome we are. I should do a paper on this
       
      #19 Qwuilleran, Jan 22, 2013
    20. Most of the humanoid robots I've seen have a very bulky wire and metal skeleton. It doesn't really look like anything that can be fitted inside a doll, unless you used a very large one, but then it'd be quite heavy once everything was in place.

      I suppose you could just attach the doll's limbs and head to it, but resin is much heavier than the thin (ABS?) plastic that is commonly used for building such things.

      If anyone manages this, though, I'd love to see it.
       
      #20 tarot, Jan 22, 2013
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