The animatronic Monarch butterfly I built for the Kidzeum has migrated to the Terre Haute Children’s Museum in Indiana. https://www.thchildrensmuseum.com/

The butterfly is starting to show its age and it did need repairs. Thankfully Tony and his team at that museum were able to do the repairs and get the butterfly functional again. Thank you so much Tony!

I love the idea that this butterfly is moving around. Monarchs in North America are very unique for their extraordinarily long migration travel. Now this piece gets to do a little traveling too!

Based on the notes and repairs that were needed, I think that future museum pieces I may build need to be incredibly robust and sturdy. The fine delicate features of insects mean that the materials themselves need to be very strong. That may mean they will be heavier and therefore more challenging to animate. For instance, solid plastic wings would need very high torque servos which would be much larger, and therefore not fit in the thorax anymore. Also, the legs and body should be rigid and sturdy too, so overall it would be heavier and need to be mounted with more contact points. Perhaps a piece whose body touches an object like a fake tree branch to better hide larger motors, gears, wiring, and hardware.

I really appreciate the original commission clients Leah and Ryan from the Kidzeum for believing in me and supporting me. I also appreciate Tony from Terre Haute Children’s Museum, for working through the repairs remotely!