Surrey Holiday Lights
For the 2021 Surrey Holiday Lights festival, multiple interactive displays and kinetic animatronic installations were created. These displays included motorized Christmas stockings, animatronic “mouse house”, automated rocking chair, moving Santa’s boots, a laser-cut “Santa’s Workshop” sign with motorized cogs, and LED neon “Naughty or Nice” signs. This event showcased my innovative use of mechanics and lighting to create a festive, engaging atmosphere.
Animatronic
“Mouse House”
Set within a family living room scene, this installation involved an animatronic mouse that emerged from a hole in the wall, adding a whimsical and engaging element to the event. The design focused on creating a lifelike, smooth motion for the mouse, synchronized with the opening of a miniature door to enhance the realistic effect.
Behind the Build
3 degrees of freedom
LED inside 3D printed “porch lamp”
Driven by a combination of an ACME lead screw stepper motor and two servo motors
To prevent physical contact between the mouse and the door, a belt drive pulley system is employed. This system is connected to a linkage which is, in turn, linked to the stepper linear actuator, ensuring the door opens smoothly just before the mouse makes its appearance.
Naughty or Nice
LED Neon Signs
Flexible LED neon strips embedded in laser-cut acrylic channels.
Displayed over two doors, with mistletoe hanging in-between, which door will you choose?
Motorized Stockings
Synchronized Christmas stockings oscillating at customizable speed and amplitude driven by servo motors.
The stocking frame was laser cut out of acrylic to maintain the volume of the stockings while offering strain relief to the electrical connections. A plasma cutter was used to cut mounting brackets out of sheet metal.
Santa’s Workshop
Laser-cut sign with cogs driven by stepper motors.
Automated “Ghost” Rocking Chair
Rocking chair driven by a 12V DC motor that pulls on an elastic cable to oscillate the chair as if a ghost is rocking in the chair.
An elastic cable coupling was chosen to ensure the mechanism will adapt, rather than break, if someone sits on the rocking chair.
Santa’s Boots
Servo-driven boots that pivot at random time intervals. The load of the boot is offset by discrete spherical roller wheels embedded in the laser-cut sole of the boot.