Arduino-Based Props

Computer Programming / Arduinos

I never thought that my computer programming background would come in handy when I entered the theatre world. I'm always so delighted when two of my worlds collide. Here is a collection of props I've created for different productions. A lot more are currently in the pipeline for upcoming projects, and I'm very excited to share them soon.

Magically Moving Chess Piece

In the play Harvey, the main character plays a game of chess with his best friend, a six-foot-tall imaginary bunny. The director approached me asking for potential ways to make a chess piece "magically" move.

I love using Arduinos for small projects and suggested two small FS90R continuous rotation micro servos. These were placed inside the chess board along with some fly fishing line, an 8,000 mAh battery pack, a Wemos D1 Wifi board, and a magnet.

I wrote some code to network the Arduino to the sound playback computer wirelessly using OSC and the private WiFi network. I sent commands to the board through Figure 53's QLab software.

Here are a few images and GIFs showing the final result!

The inside of the chess board.

Magic Trident & Electric Eels

In a recent production of The Little Mermaid, we 3D printed King Triton's trident. I wrote some code for a Wemos D1 Mini that would be placed inside and connected through OSC commands through the WiFi network. This let me to change the color of the Neopixel LEDs inside the trident from the sound playback computer running Figure 53's QLab show control software. This setup allowed the synchronization between the LEDs and the production's music.

Additional prototypes were presented but ultimately cut due to time constraints. Below, you can see early renderings of Flotsam and Jetsam's costumes infused with EL wire alongside a test of Neopixel LEDs inside a 3D-printed shell for Ursula.

King Triton's trident with some of its LEDs on.