One of my graduate level courses was called Human-Centered Robotics. We use the human-centered design process to create robots and machines to interact with humans. One of my projects involved using arduino or raspberry pi to design a "product". My team wanted to design some type of exoskeleton that is both dependent on you while providing you some sort of "power". We also played with the juxtaposition that we could use complex processes to do simple tasks. Thus, we designed and built an ironman helmet with voice recognition. The mask was designed to look and fit like a football helmet.
Our first idea was to get the general shape and fit of the mask. I created cardboard prototypes that we lasercut and scored. Meanwhile, we created a wix website that would process the voice recognition software. once we got the shape and idea, we 3D printed the foundation of the helmet.
We designed a removable chin so that it could be easily taken on and off. As the mask was printed with PLA, the pieces came out rough and raw. I then sanded, and place layers of resin on the plastic to create a smooth finish. We decided to create some uneven finishes so that the helmet looked used and beat up.
We then wired a raspberry pi to take in voice commands. The pi would process the words, send it to the website, look for the sayings "mask" and "open/close", then command the motor to either tighten or loosen. We created a pulley system inside the mask that hid within the padding. The electronics were fixed into the ear.
Video of the mask working: