Self portrait as robot

initial design in pencil

transferring idea to photoshop and the design at an early stage

The final design: few changes were made, the most obvious being the waist area. For almost unimpeded flexibility, the top and bottom halves of the robot do not quite touch, but are connected by an advanced type of electromagnetism.

final self as robot design

After doing some initial sketches for this assignment, it became clear that it would not be so hard as I had first imagined: I just had to design what came naturally, and it would reflect me! I immediately wanted to do a machine that could possibly be developed to replace humans in the future. 

some of the thoughts that influenced my design process:

• A future-ready humanoid would, in my opinion, only be slowed down by bionic components in futuristic living, which would definitely involve harsh space environments where things made of flesh and bone would be too vulnerable. 
• The processing would be done by a highly powerful computer stored in the chest compartment. It was natural to me to have this part glow, as it represents the almost spiritual level of intelligence that humans are capable of and a cold, hard casing would not have effectively demonstrated this. 
• The face is a holographic projection that would react in the same way as a human's would, and as a face is a quick and useful tool to communicate emotions and ideas, I think this would be retained as a way of communicating between robots. A holograph would have a greater scope of expression than a mechanical face, and would be more easily reparable in case of damage. As this robot is supposed to almost be the 'ghost' of a human (me!) long dead, whose intelligence has been transferred, it seemed right to have a flickering, vulnerable seeming face as a poignant reminder of the mortal state we once possessed.
• The body is primarily practical, its shapes quite muscular and flexible to indicate it would be used for travel and exploration further among the galaxy. The fingers are delicate and humanoid, as their versatility has always been one of humanity's advantages over the rest of the animal world. The cutout sections within the limbs are designed to show that the humanoid shape is purely a choice to remain humanoid rather than a necessity to the functionality of the robot.

What was important to me was that if I were to have myself uploaded into a machine, this would be something I would feel at home in, so I think this was a successful project.