Installing the Final Piece

Close up of the face of the animatronic monarch butterfly by John Espey

On April 11th, 2019 I visited the Kidzeum in Springfield Illinois to install the completed animatronic monarch butterfly. Thanks to the amazing support and generosity of the staff at the Kidzeum, the installation went very smooth and the final piece looks fantastic. The exhibit is scheduled to open April 27, 2019 and you can see more about it through their website, https://kidzeum.org/.

This entire process has been a dream come true. I have always wanted to find a professional avenue for my passion in creating insectoid robots. Museum displays and exhibits is a fantastic way to do that. It allows me to dedicate myself to the entomology, while being artistic with diverse materials, and encouraging education.

Part of this piece is a video describing how I built it. You can find that video on YouTube at https://youtu.be/JQik38u14HI. As you can see from my previous blog articles, I used 3D modeling and printing, decorative textiles, painting, and robotic electronics.

Completed animatronic monarch inside its custom pedestal ready to be placed in the Bees, Butterflies, and Blooms exhibit at the Kidzeum.

The main goal is to get kids aware and excited about pollinators, insects, STEAM education, and feel empowered to create and support nature. When I was a kid, I loved science museums that had interactive animatronics on display, and now I get to build them.

I hope there are many more animatronic bugs in my future.

Attention to Monarch Butterflies

In 2018 monarch butterfly populations in California reached a super low number. This is after years of steady decline. For environmental awareness and a call to action, I want to attract attention to monarch butterflies.

I am building an larger than life animatronic monarch butterfly. I am looking for support in displaying my 2015 piece and assistance in the construction and displaying of a new and larger piece currently in development.

Animatronic Monarch Butterfly created by John Espey in 2015. Embedded servo motors, textiles, and mixed media.

In 2015, I constructed a monarch butterfly with embedded servo motors to flap its wings (image attached).  As an artist, my intention is to explore insect physiology and behavior using larger than life scale models with integrated electronics.  I hope these insectoid robots encourage viewers to think differently about their relationship to insects, as well as the incredible biomechanics they employ to survive.  I majored in Biology and have used my background in science to inspire my work. The relationship humanity has with its environment is reaching a new level of complexity and global awareness. We are discovering the critical importance pollinators, like monarchs, have on our food supply, climate, and biodiversity.

I propose to construct a new and purpose built animatronic monarch butterfly based on my previous piece with mechanical and aesthetic improvements.  The piece I built several years ago functions well as a static sculpture now. I want to build a new one with improved accuracy and strength. The new mechanics will help the piece last extended exhibition time, and refine accuracy to the monarch butterfly physiology.

Please reach out to me through my contact if you can envision a home for these pieces.

3D Modeling and Printing Exoskeletal Componenets

The monarch butterfly’s exoskeleton is composed of various sclerites and comprise mechanically functional groups. These groups are pulled and distorted from internal elastic muscles. In robotics and animatronics, motors and gearboxes are the muscle equivalent and made of rigid components. The thoracic box of the monarch will function as an enclosure for servo motors and mechanical linkages.

3D print of the thoracic enclosure. Looks like a heart!

I am using Blender to model the butterfly thorax enclosure. This enclosure is 3D printed and assembled with a variety of organic clasps and joints. It has been difficult to create these joints and adjust tolerances with the 3D printer, but I am getting closer to a comfortable shape.

I'd like this to be an homage to the monarchs, and rally attention and support from viewers.  A larger than life animatronic monarch may encourage all ages and personalities to think deeply about what these insects mean to us.  We need to encourage global and environmental awareness as well as excite an interest in science and education.

Early draft of the monarch thoracic box and servo linkages.

Concept rendering for a twelve times scale monarch butterfly with rotating wings