Elf Robot Ornament
he age of artificial intelligence and machine learning has arrived. Thus, it is transforming our world making things that were impossible, possible. Consequently, Santa’s world has not been immune to this progress. Therefore, Santa has been modernizing his Santa’s Workshop for many years. Firstly, he added assembly lines. Secondly, he implemented machine automation. Lately, he has added robots. Indeed, Elf Robots. So, when deciding which new character to add to the Santa Claus Ornaments Collection, the choice was easy. And so, I decided to design an Elf Robot ornament to keep up with the pace of this new world.
Elf Robot Ornament Design Process
The key to a well-designed ornament is selecting the proper materials. Thus, I spent hours going through my collected odds and ends and whatnots. And sure enough, I found the perfect main item for this most special character. Yes indeed, a glass dome full of sparkling parts and filaments was perfect for the body of my robot.
The Old Audio Tubes
A while back, my husband, a sound engineer and audiophile himself, had discarded a bunch of stuff. As I was going through his discarded items, I found the most interesting audio tubes. As my husband had told me, these audio tubes were no-longer-good. In fact, they had come from old stereos, radios, and TVs that he had restored.
As most baby-boomers, I experienced the interrupted TV show due to a burned TV tube. Suddenly, in the middle of my favorite TV show, the black-and-white TV screen would turn black. Following, dad would be rushing to the hardware store to buy a new TV audio tube. Finally, dad would replace the tube to restore the TV image. Although, sadly, by then, my favorite show was over.
The Design of the Elf Robot
I selected the color palette for the Elf Robot, with the idea of creating a glittery figurine. I chose silver, red and green as the main colors. Then I selected the material of a silver evening dress because it was perfect to make a Santa’s hat for the robot. Next, I gave Elf Robot a silver paper-wrapped present with red or green bows to hold. Like the Santa Claus Elf ornament, I gave Elf Robot a naughty smile that captures his mischievous personality. Then, I gave him elfin silver ears. Finally, I added a glittery red heart that represents the spirit of Christmas. To complete the ornament design, I added a green Christmas Tree that sits next to the Elf Robot.
Specifications
Year Designed
2016
Size
Actual sizes may vary slightly, approximately 2.0” x 2.0” x 4.0” – 5.0”
Materials
Cardboard, fabric, trims, pipe-cleaners, ribbons, beads, pompoms, audio tubes, paint, labels.
Note: Given the handmade nature of the ornament, all ornaments are different. The pictures depict just one sample of the ornament.
