Stage and Studio Services Ltd, (SASS), is a long-established Telford-based company who provide high quality Audio-Visual services into the event and live music industry. The recent COVID-19 pandemic/lockdown constrained their business model, and company Director Trevor Wilkins identified an opportunity to pivot the company and develop new services based upon animatronics.

SASS has been collaborating with several local heritage museum trusts to enhance their current, static waxwork interpretations of Victoriana, bringing this to life through the use of animatronics to create more realistic, dynamic visualisations. 

For maximum effect, these bespoke animatronics installations need to be integrated with an array of audio-visual effects, including sound effects, noise, simulated explosions, lighting effects, smoke, projections, etc.). SASS sought support from the SOLVD project to develop a software/hardware control system that can coordinate all of these elements in a time-bound or sequential manner.

The University of Wolverhampton SOLVD team undertook research into existing software/hardware, coding languages, applications and solutions required to implement such a system. Following a thorough review of the currently available state-of-the-art control platforms (such as FPGA, ASIC, Raspberry Pi and Arduino, etc) the SOLVD team recommended and carried out a comparison of possible solutions. 

The SOLVD team designed a schematic diagram which included all of the different system components and devices required to perform the required tasks, as illustrated in figure.1 where the function and role of each part in the schematic diagram below was explained.

The SOLVD team recommended that an Arduino board  be used as the ‘brain’ of the project’s control and automation systems, due to its cost-effective and easy-to-use hardware, coupled with an ‘open source’ programming language. Arduino boards can also read inputs – e.g., a light on a sensor, a finger on a button, or message from social media, turning this signal into an output to activate a motor.

The SOLVD team then identified several related software systems that could be utilised to model, protype and programme the whole or part of this system, including IDE, TinkerCad, Node Red and Fritzing.

This ‘Proof of Concept’ study also included a recommendations report with a technology roadmap (coupled with bespoke 1-2-1 guidance and support) that enabled SASS to implement the animatronics project.

Testimonial: Trev Wilkins, Director of SASS.

"The support and understanding I’ve received have meant a great deal to me. The current business climate has been quite isolating and to receive encouragement to move into new areas, albeit remotely, has given me the confidence to move forward with my ideas. Our staple business is crowded at the best of times and the new direction means we can be more of a specialist business, in a less crowded market, that we hope to build on in the future. I look forward to meeting up and working with the SOLVD team in person."

The SOLVD project is continuing to support SASS in realising their longer-term objectives of implementing large-scale animatronics/AV installations into heritage/museum settings.

Experts from the SOLVD team at the University of Wolverhampton can help your business harness cutting-edge digital technologies to improve your business productivity. (*)

For more information or to discuss your specific requirements, visit www.wlv.ac.uk/SOLVD or contact SOLVD@wlv.ac.uk.

(*) Businesses operating in Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin can access 12 hours of fully funded support subject to eligibility. Please contact us for details.