(^74) The Official Raspberry Pi Projects Book raspberrypi.org/magpi
n animator by trade,
Alonso Martinez wanted to
take his maker skills to the
next level. He decided to explore
the idea of interactivity with robot
characters by creating Gertie, Mira
and Lumens.
With Gertie, he was able to
explore the idea of the ball bounce –
a staple in animation school, where
students are asked to animate a
ball, and the reaction of its surface
when it connects with another
object. Where Gertie excelled at
bouncing, there was still a lack of
the emotion and personality that
Alonso hoped to achieve.
Projects SHOWCASE
Alonso Martinez explores the ideas of interaction and individuality in
robots, creating adorable Raspberry Pi-based characters that play and learn
Alonso learnt
the majority
of his maker
skills from
internet videos
Mira went
through
multiple designs
before her final
egg shape
She charges via
a small port on
her base
Mira’s small on-
board camera
can utilise face
recognition
Alonso’s next
build, Lumens,
doubles as a
night light
Quick
Facts
ALONSO’S
ROBOTS
A
Mira’s blinking eyes are powered
by two small LCD screens that
run constant animations
Mira’s recent appearance on
the YouTube Tested channel
attracted a storm of people
desperate to buy their own Mira
Her shape is the result of
an exploration into shape
science, and how we
perceive certain features
ALONSO MARTINEZ
Working as a Technical Director
for Pixar, taking his experience
in character creation into his
exploration of interactive robots.
@alonsorobots
Mesmerising Mira
Enter Mira. Alonso wanted to
create a character that was not only
aesthetically pleasing and highly
interactive, but also able to explore
the science behind how we perceive
a character based on its shape and
features. Mira’s round form is the
result of a study into shape science.
Her lack of limbs and sharp edges
creates an instantly accessible and
pleasing character. And her eyes,
with their mini LED screens that
blink with their deep, somewhat
galactic blue orbs, draw us to her
that little bit more.