Voice Over: Art Meets Engineering

National Engineers’ Week is February 20-26, 2022! Come celebrate at the Science Mill with Homeschool Day: Careers in Engineering on Thursday, Feb. 24 and Engineering Day on Saturday, Feb. 26. While you’re here, be sure to check out Voice Over, an art-meets-engineering marvel created by artist Riley Robinson. We had the pleasure of interviewing Riley about his creative process, problem solving and powering curiosity with STEAM—Science, Technology, Art and Mathematics.

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Riley Robinson, artist and Artpace Director (Photo: Chris Castillo)

Visitors to the Science Mill have a unique opportunity to interact with a work of art and engineering by San Antonio-based artist Riley Robinson. “Voice Over started with my interest in ways we communicate,” says Riley. “I wanted to create something that had no external input”—that is, no wires, no WiFi. Voice Over features two massive steel dishes positioned on either side of the Mill’s creek. Visitors can whisper a message into one and have it heard clearly at the other, over 300 feet away, thanks to the dishes’ carefully calculated curves, which focus and direct soundwaves.

Voice Over at the Science Mill

Creating those curves was a group effort. “These days I do more work with my cell phone than with a welding torch,” Riley jokes. He connected with scientists at Southwest Research Institute, who have designed satellite dishes to transmit signals from Pluto. Based on Riley’s designs, the Southwest Research team worked out the precise calculations to make the dishes work. Riley found a metal fabricator in Minnesota to create the final pieces. “I’m a good welder,” he explains, “but these needed to be industrially produced.” While the engineers suggested aluminum for a lighter, easier build, Riley requested steel for its durability. “These pieces need to stand up to the elements for years.” Steel appears often in Riley’s outdoor works, usually with a galvanized treatment—a coating process that both protects from rust and gives his pieces a signature look. Adding this treatment to the highly calibrated dishes, however, felt too risky: “Instead, we gave them the look of galvanized steel.”

One of Riley’s other works—an enormous wrench—being galvanized; scroll down to see how it looks in the final Tool Yard installation. (Photo: Riley Robinson)

Merging practical needs with his vision for a piece is one of Riley’s favorite things about creating art for public spaces. “I love diving into the problem of each project,” says Riley. “Each site is unique and that means that some pieces might not seem to connect to what I’ve done in the past, because they’re about that particular challenge.”

For instance, compared to Voice Over or the giant-scaled tools he created for San Antonio’s City Service Center, you might not immediately recognize Riley’s hand in the thousands of colorful, dainty bluebonnets that dot the front of Bexar County’s Sky Tower at University Hospital. “That project started with an amazing body of research on how art can actually reduce the length of a patient’s hospital stay,” Riley describes. “Even down to what colors, symbols, and layouts to avoid.” Working with these guidelines led Riley to create a field of hopeful steel bluebonnets. (They’re also a nod to Julian Onderdonk, San Antonio’s “father of Texas painting,” who popularized bluebonnet scenes in the early 1900s.) “I happened to meet a transplant surgeon recently,” says Riley, “and learned that he includes Bluebonnets in his course of treatment. The medical team has patients arrive in front of the artwork as a place to chat before heading in for surgery.”

Tool Yard, Northeast Service Center, San Antonio (Photo: Riley Robinson)

Bluebonnets, Sky Tower at University Hospital, Bexar County (Photo: Mark C. Greenberg)

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The secret behind Voice Over is the parabola: a curve with special mathematical properties. No matter where a sound wave (like your whisper) hits that curve, the dish’s slope will reflect it out to one spot called the “focus” or “focal point.” Then those sound waves reflect off the other dish’s curved surface and out to a focal point near the listener’s ear. The multiple reflections also amplify the sound.


I SPY…parabolic reflectors!
Can you spy parabolic reflectors at work around you? Some hints to help you spot them:

  • You might spy them used in architecture where sound needs to be amplified or controlled (ex: band shell or amphitheater)

  • You might spy them paired with a microphone; they’re especially handy for recording sound from a distance (ex: sounds from a football field)

  • Parabolic reflectors are also used to focus and amplify light waves (ex: headlights, flashlights, solar cookers) and electromagnetic radio waves (ex: satellite dishes)

  • You may even spy them in nature! Some owl species have “facial dishes” that help to reflect and amplify sounds to ear openings beneath their feathers. Male moose may get a hearing boost from their massive curved antlers.


ACTIVITIES:
Explorer Zone: Sound of Silos

VIDEO: Echoes and reverberations

VIDEO: Reflection of sound


CAREER CONNECTION:
“I loved music and wanted to be a radio DJ. Then one of my professors said, ‘What about making the records?’” – Jeff Byrd, Audio Engineer for Austin City Limits

While Voice Over adapts well to the Science Mill’s creek, Riley originally designed it to meet the challenges of a different location: a narrow point on the Rio Grande, spanning the U.S.-Mexico border. “It will be several years and lots of paperwork before that happens, but I hope to see it there eventually,” says Riley. Until then, Science Mill visitors get to enjoy the piece on long-term loan.

In addition to his own work, Riley brings new art and artists to San Antonio as Director of Artpace, a non-profit residency program for regional, national and international artists. “There is so much problem solving that goes into bringing new works to life; it’s making connections to people in lots of different fields and learning from them to make a piece work.”

The artistic process has much in common with scientific experimentation or the engineering design process. Indeed, many educators now include Art among Science, Technology, and Math, turning “STEM” learning into “STEAM.” Riley agrees that the arts need their own spot on this important learning line-up. “Art is its own language, its own way of communicating. It allows you to see things differently and communicate differently.”

Special thanks: The Voice Over project was funded by the Rick Liberto grant for visual arts through the Artist Foundation of San Antonio.

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The Science of Ice Carving

Ice is weird and wonderful. Just ask a scientist—or an artist, like Sean Leahy. Armed with a chainsaw, he’ll be carving a block of ice into a shimmering sculpture at the Science Mill’s Snow Day on Saturday, January 15, 2022.

What makes ice so weird? Unlike most compounds, water’s solid state is actually less dense than its liquid state. You see this strange trait in action when ice cubes float in a glass of water. Liquids get denser as they cool; their molecules slow and move closer together. That’s true of water, too, but only up to a point—39.2° F (4° C), to be specific. As water reaches the freezing state, the hydrogens in its H20 molecules form a hexagon-shaped network of bonds with open spaces between them. This causes water to expand in volume as it freezes and makes ice less dense. The hydrogen bonds are also the start of snowflakes’ six-sided shapes.

Molecules in liquid water (left) vs. frozen water (right), when hydrogen bonds form

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Icy Experiments

  • Fill a small plastic container about halfway with water. Make a prediction: How much do you think the water will expand when it’s frozen? Use a Sharpie to draw lines on the container that mark the starting water level and your guess. Wait for it to freeze, then observe the results. What did you discover?

  • What happens when you add other chemicals to water? Create three equal cups: one with plain tap water, one with tap water + table salt (sodium chloride) and one with tap water + Epsom salts (magnesium sulfate). Put them in the freezer and check back often to see how long it takes each one to freeze. Do the additional chemicals change how the water freezes?

  • Freeze water in a variety of plastic containers of all sizes and shapes—think ice trays, yogurt containers, food storage bins, etc—and experiment with adding plastic toys, coins, beans, chalk, berries, leaves or other easy-to-find items. Can you make an artistic frozen masterpiece? Excavate a frozen fossil like the scientists in Dinosaurs of Antarctica?

ACTIVITIES: 40+ creative ways to play with ice and Ice activities for every season


CAREER CONNECTION:
“Ice can be as weak as a cookie or as strong as concrete.”

-Dr. Erland Schulson, Ice Research Laboratory, Department of Engineering, Dartmouth College

As an ice sculptor, Sean has to understand those changing hydrogen bonds to predict how the ice he’s carving will behave. Start carving too soon and CRACK! An ice block can go into thermal shock when its surface warms faster than its center, causing parts to contract while others expand. Ice blocks typically need to rest for a few hours until they’ve adjusted to the surrounding air temperature. The “texture” of an ice block goes from soft to hard and back to soft as it warms. Carving also warms up the ice, so once a sculptor starts it’s a slow-motion race against temperature and time.

For big pieces, sculptors use chainsaws to complete about 60-70% of the carving. Then they smooth out shapes, add details and create textures with a combination of hand chisels and power tools, such as die grinders and drill bits in unique shapes. Sculptors can even weld ice blocks together to make bigger pieces (or repair a break). Depending on the temperature, they either heat the surfaces with an aluminum heating plate, carve channels for water, or add slush or dry ice to fuse the ice together.

Sculptor Griffin Ramsey uses a chainsaw to shape a block of ice at Snow Day 2020

The temporary nature of ice is what appeals to Sean as an artist. “I find satisfaction in the process of creation and appreciate the life and changes that occur as the pieces melt.”  Sean followed his childhood passion for drawing to earn a B.A. in Studio Art at Webster University. After taking a job at a local ice sculpting company, he discovered a new passion. Sean is now an award-winning Professional Carver and Ice Educator certified by the National Ice Carving Association, with his own ice sculpting company in San Marcos, TX.

See Sean in action and make your own frozen creations with 30 tons of real snow at Snow Day 2022—tickets available now (LEARN MORE)

MORE TO EXPLORE

  • Check out Sean’s latest creations for Full Spectrum Ice on Instagram

  • Using everything from hand saws to chain saws to computer-guided lasers, ice sculptor Shintaro Okamoto demonstrates techniques at 10 levels of difficulty (VIDEO)

  • A scientist and an ice sculptor explain what fascinates them about frozen water (VIDEO)

  • “Weird, hot, black ice?” Ice actually comes in over a dozen phases—some in nature, some produced in labs—including a recently created superionic ice that is modeled on planets like Neptune.

A Holiday High-Five: Colossal Robotic Hand is Back!

At 30 feet tall, the Colossal Robotic Hand is one of the Science Mill’s most iconic exhibits. Already impressive for its super-sized scale, what makes the Hand so memorable is that you get to control its position—whether that’s a titanic thumbs-up or a humongous “Hook ‘em Horns.” After a few months offline, the Colossal Robotic Hand is back in action for Winter Break with a new and improved controller, thanks to a helping hand from the Mill’s exhibit engineers.

The new controller features nine sliders: one for the thumb and two for each finger, controlling its top and bottom “joints.” Each slider is part of a potentiometer, a device that varies resistance to change the voltage in an electrical circuit. (If you’ve ever adjusted a volume knob or used a dimmer switch on a light, you’ve most likely put a potentiometer to work.) The changing voltage is read by an Arduino microprocessor, which translates it into digital data about the position of that finger. Then the Arduino in the controller syncs up with an Arduino in the Colossal Robotic Hand to share the info. Once you press “Go,” the Hand’s Arduino tells linear actuators how to move the fingers and—ta-da!—a 30-foot peace sign.

The coolest part about the new controller? It’s built from layers of clear acrylic, so you can see all the circuits and components inside!

A behind-the-scenes look at the controller being created: Following a digital pattern, a laser precision cuts a sheet of clear acrylic, including holes for wiring and for screwing together the final “sandwich” of tech components and acrylic panels.

High-Five Facts about the Colossal Robotic Hand

  1. The Colossal Robotic Hand was designed and constructed at the Science Mill from 500 stainless steel triangles. It took over 1,000 feet of welds to assemble everything – imagine welding from end-zone to end-zone of a football field three times!

  2. To safely anchor and bear the Hand’s weight, we had to dig an 8-foot-deep foundation. A crane carefully stacked the Hand, piece by piece, into place.

  3. We programmed the fingers to move in a certain sequence to keep them from bumping into each other. The Arduino inside the Hand not only receives info on where to move the fingers, but also keeps track of each finger’s current position to avoid collisions. For instance, it knows not to move the fingers first if the thumb is in the way or vice versa.

  4. We also programmed the hand to be polite: it can’t make any rude gestures!

  5. The Arduino microprocessors that control the Hand are inexpensive and user friendly—if you’re interested in exploring programming at home, definitely check them out.

 

MORE TO EXPLORE

  • You’ll find the Colossal Robotic Hand in our Science & Art Park, alongside other awesome feats of engineering by the Science Mill team—like the Incredible Ball Machine and the Wave Pendulum. You’ll also find works by acclaimed Texas artists that blend art and science: Voice Over by Riley Robinson and the Silo of McKays by McKay Otto.

  • In Explorer Zone Episode 6: The Colossal Robotic Hand, go behind the scenes to see how the Hand was built and find biomechanics and robotics activities to try at home, including a DIY robotic hand!

  • Try your hand at coding and robotics at Homeschool Days: Careers in Coding on Thursday, Dec. 16 from 10am-2pm. All young programmers are welcome, including those in learning pods or with asynchronous school schedules. 

Holidays in the Hill Country with kids

Holidays in the Hill Country with kids

We love summer in the Hill Country, but the holiday season here has a special glow. It’s the perfect mix of indoor and outdoor attractions for kid-friendly fun in any weather. To make the most of your family time together, the Science Mill is open extra days during Thanksgiving Break and Winter Break. Combine your visit with some of our favorite holiday outings, linked below—the more the merrier! And because we know it’s a busy time of year, we’ve included gift ideas you can pick up hassle-free from our Science Store (in-person, curbside or online).

Here at the Science Mill, our exhibits team is like a STEM version of Santa’s elves: their workshop is full of imaginative inventions to inspire kids. Explore their creations in 50+ hands-on exhibits, indoors and outside, along with the Science Mill’s big-screen 3D science movies and immersive 4D virtual reality experience. Make your own crazy contraptions at home with these engineering-inspired gifts:

After a day at the Science Mill, stay for Lights Spectacular (Nov. 26-Jan. 2). Our hometown of Johnson City becomes “The Twinkliest Town in Texas” thanks to over 2 million lights. Each night from sundown to midnight, take in the twinkling displays by car or by strolling along Main Street, Memorial Park and the PEC Headquarters. Plan ahead to join one of the special events, such as the Lighted Parade or Grinchmas; visit the event website for current details. You can also catch Johnson City’s final Market Days of 2021 for great local gifts (Nov. 26, 27 & 28).

Holiday lights are an awesome introduction to lots of STEM topics: curious kids can explore how circuits and solar cells work, how computer code runs lighting displays, how wavelengths produce different colors, and more! Nurture that curiosity with these picks from our Science Store:

The changing seasons make November and December an excellent time for outdoor science in the Hill Country. There are numerous great options en route to or from the Science Mill: take a short scenic drive from Johnson City to Pedernales Falls State Park; or, plan a stop along U.S. 290 at Enchanted Rock State Natural Area or Westcave Outdoor Discovery Center; or, if you’re following U.S. 281, make a side trip to Blanco State Park or Guadalupe River State Park. Several sites offer programs and hikes throughout the holiday season, including dino hunting on the guided Canyon Lake Gorge Tour; check websites for reservations and schedules. No reindeer sightings just yet, but you’ll find antelope, elk, camels and more at Exotic Resort Zoo, just a few miles north of the Science Mill. Or experiment with friction and motion at the Eisbahn outdoor ice skating rink in Fredericksburg (Dec. 18-Jan. 2).

Gear up for the great outdoors—or your own backyard—with these nature-themed gifts:

To explore holiday traditions from Texas’s past, head 14 miles west of Johnson City to Sauer-Beckmann Living History Farm and the Lyndon B. Johnson State Park & Historic Site. Costumed interpreters mirror farm life of the early 1900s, including an annual Deck the Halls event, and the LBJ Tree Lighting will celebrate its 52nd year; see website for current details. And don’t forget the Hill Country’s farm stands and orchards, like Burg’s Corner, Vogel Orchard and Gold Orchards. Many offer gift-worthy jams, jellies and salsas that showcase the summer’s peach harvest, plus delicious home-baked goods and winter produce.

For a gift that helps loved ones make the most of all these Hill Country adventures, go with a Science Mill Membership. All proceeds from Memberships and Science Store purchases support our STEM programs that inspire Texas youth to become tomorrow’s science leaders.

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