Transformable Cable Volume Structure for Stop Motion Figures
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional stop motion animation figures require large volumes of material, prone to loss of volume, creasing, and limited range of movement, especially in features like neck, limbs, mouth, and eyebrows, which detract from realism.
Innovation Solution
A structure utilizing resiliently deformable cables that can move relative to a body section, defining the shape and allowing for manipulation to create realistic movements without bulkiness or distortion, with cables integrated into a skeleton and covering layer for enhanced flexibility and control.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Shape
If large volume of foam or plasticine material is used for the body form, then the figure can maintain its shape, but the material is prone to loss of volume, creasing, and rippling which detracts from realism
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the shape-defining function from bulky foam material and transfers it to thin cables. The cables are threaded through the body form and tensioned to define the shape, allowing the removal of excessive foam while maintaining shape integrity and eliminating creasing and rippling issues.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses thin cable elements instead of thick foam to define the body form shape. The cables act as flexible structural elements that can maintain the desired shape without the volume loss and surface distortion problems associated with foam materials.
2Ease of operation
If conventional foam or plasticine body form is used, then the figure can be manipulated, but the range of movement of certain body features such as neck, limbs, mouth and eyebrows is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the body form into multiple cable-controlled sections. Cables are routed through specific body parts such as neck, limbs, mouth, and eyebrows, allowing independent manipulation of each feature while maintaining overall body integrity. This segmentation enables enhanced range of movement without sacrificing controllability.
3Volume of moving object
If bulky foam material is used to define body shape, then the figure maintains volume, but excessive material usage increases weight and reduces flexibility
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the volume-maintaining function from heavy foam material and implements it through tensioned cables. The cables define the body form's external shape and maintain appropriate volume without the weight penalty, creating a lightweight yet volumetrically accurate figure.
4Ease of operation
If conventional cable systems are used in animatronics, then movement can be achieved, but the cables are neither resiliently deformable nor do they act to define any part of the structure
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the cables multi-functional: they simultaneously control movement of body features and define the shape of the body form. The same cables that enable manipulation of neck, limbs, mouth, and eyebrows also serve as the structural framework that maintains the figure's external shape, eliminating the need for separate shape-defining materials.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution enables natural-looking movements with reduced material usage, preventing rippling and maintaining shape integrity, offering a wide range of expressions and movements without the need for excessive foam or bulky materials.
Implementation Method 1
an elongate, resiliently deformable cable
Data Source
AI summary
A structure comprises an elongate, resiliently deformable cable, a body section comprising a cable-receiving aperture, said aperture being dimensioned so as to retain a length of said cable within it in use while permitting relative movement of said cable relative to the aperture in a direction along the length of the cable upon application of a set manipulating force, and retaining means for retaining the cable at a set position relative to the body section absent application of said force, wherein the cable at least partially defines the shape of the structure, and said shape may be changed by application of said manipulating force thus causing relative movement between the cable and the body section in a direction along the length of the cable.