Currently, I'm working on something I've codenamed "Groovebot". I don't want to reveal too much yet because I'm still exploring the immense amounts of possibilities left for this little toy. This toy is going to be an animated piece and most probably used in a audio-responsive context. This latest "bot" has the most number of segments parented together than anything I've released before - to be honest it was extremely tedious to script (as you can see, the arms are still not yet rigged up).
To some extent it feels like a puppet, hung on a string and instructed what to do and when. I thought about this recently and decided it wasn't really a puppet. True, there is cursor interaction at the moment for me to test the motions. But once I sync this with an external source (audio most likely) it's as if I gave the puppet strings their own hands to do as they pleased. I've been criticised for my adoption of randomness (apparently 'random' is passe these days), which is why I've adopted a more subtle approach on this one. I want to get the figures exactly right so there's that limit and that control, yet a huge amount of dynamic behavior.
I've paid particular attention to the torso area, it's shaped into a rib-cage like structure to reflect the "wave" movement seen most prominently in breakdancers. With this, it's easy to see how adaptable this is going to be to a groovy beat.
Unlike "Gyrobot" which focused on motion in syncronised balance, "Groovebot" wishes to explore the layers in music. I'm thinking the feet tappin' and head bobbin' during a bassline, hands up in the air when the high-hats come in and the body grooves along to the beat. Clearly, Groovebot loves electronic music, naturally.
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