Another step completed in the blinking eye project.

All these improvising and re-inventing made me recall how easy it was to make ponytails on kigurumi masks in comparison to this.

Shocking, absolutely no less than shocking. The eye lashes part of the project has been overly underestimated in complexity. I twitted the other day that making the eye lashes was like inventing the light bulb, do you know that story of Thomas Edison? He tried and failed over 10,000 designs, well mine was not as dramatic, but still no less than 10 designs.

So many things has changed in the design, even the material used has been changed. I was quite busy figuring out how to get it to work as well as doing my other priorities that I haven't had time to update much in the forums or on Facebook.

Well, the good news is. It is completed. And it is working. That is the sliding action of the eye lashes controlled by the eye lids.



Do not be mistaken by the animated GIF file I made earlier of the eyes blinking. They are stop motion animation. That means I move the blinking action with my hands. Now, you can check out the video of the blinking action that is controlled by the "flaps" mechanism behind the mask in real time. (The pistons are not installed yet, but now the pushing force from the pistons can finally be transferred to the eyelids through the "flaps" interface).


What problems will be encountered in the pistons part of the project is yet to be known. I am expecting the need to invent and solve a few issues at least, and I have some idea of what can be done.

Everything in the title picture you see are failed designs. The final working design is not in the picture. The title picture is only a general view of the numerous experimentation and trial designs used before the finding one that could work. It was harder than imagined to have a working connection between the eye lashes and the eyelids because of the way the eye lashes must move.

The picture on the left shows the different designs use for the same parts. I began making parts for one eye only because they keep failing to work. And more than once, the design which I thought would work once fully installed onto the mask, does not work as expected. Drawn up dozens of designs one after another.

I have put some of the designs up in the forum thread. I think it will be interesting to some in seeing the different types of movable eye lashes that can be thought up. From a single-arm-double-joint to a 5-segment-eyelash, it ought to amuse a few.

Not only the shape of the inverting eyelashes changed, even the joints needed redesigning. The joints seen in the picture on the left are all failed joint designs. The final working one look something like a bird's head.

There is much to share about this part of the project. Make sure you drop by the blinking eye forum thread to check out the whole story. I will put up the final working design there as well.

With this, I think its finally entering the last stage of the blinking eye project. The installation of the air pressure pistons.

Some kigurumi pics as promised.

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