Animatronics

Mechatronic puppets

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An animatronic is a mechatronic puppet. They are often used to portray characters in films, video games, and theme park attractions. This multidisciplinary field integrates puppetry, anatomy, and mechatronics. Both computer and human control, including teleoperation, can be used to manage animatronics. Motion actuators imitate muscle movements to create realistic motions. These figures are usually encased in body shells and flexible skins made from hard or soft plastic materials, finished with colors, hair, feathers, and other components to make them lifelike. Animatronics stem from a long tradition of mechanical automata powered by hydraulics, pneumatics, and clockwork. Early examples are mentioned in Greek mythology and ancient Chinese writings, with the oldest extant automaton dated to the 16th century.

Before "animatronics" became a common term, these devices were usually referred to as "robots." Robots have since become known as practical programmable machines that do not necessarily resemble living creatures. Robots designed to convincingly resemble humans are called "androids". "Animatronics" combines "animate" and "electronics." Walt Disney coined "Audio-Animatronics" in 1961 when he started developing animatronics for entertainment and film without distinguishing them from androids.

"Autonomatronics" was also defined by Disney Imagineers to describe more advanced Audio-Animatronic technology featuring cameras and complex sensors to process and respond to information in the character's environment.

History

Timeline

Modern Attractions

The first animatronics characters shown to the public were a dog and a horse at the 1939 New York World's Fair. Sparko, The Robot Dog, is considered the first modern-day animatronic character. An unnamed animatronic horse, which could gallop realistically, was also exhibited.

Laffing Sal was used to attract patrons to funhouses and dark rides throughout the United States, with its movements accompanied by a raucous recorded laugh.

Walt Disney popularized animatronics for entertainment. Disney’s vision for Audio-Animatronics was more focused on patriotic displays rather than amusements.

In 1951, Disney commissioned a team to create a 9" figure that could talk and dance. This figure, called Project Little Man, was never finished. The next year, Walt Disney Imagineering was created. Disney's animatronic bird, used in Mary Poppins (1964), was controlled by bicycle cables.

After Project Little Man, Imagineers built a "Chinese head" that customers could ask questions. The eyes blinked and its mouth opened and closed. Disney started using animatronics in Disneyland's Jungle Cruise ride in 1955, then for Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room featuring animatronic tropical birds and other characters.

The first fully audio-animatronic human figure was Abraham Lincoln, created by Disney for the 1964 World's Fair in New York. Updated in 1965, this figure appeared at the Opera House at Disneyland Resort in California. Royal Dano voiced the figure.

Lucky the Dinosaur is the first free-roaming Audio-Animatronic figure created by Disney's Imagineers. Muppet Mobile Lab is another free-roaming Audio-Animatronic unit, featuring Dr. Bunsen Honeydew and Beaker at Hong Kong Disneyland.

Film and Television

The film industry has revolutionized animatronics technology. Animatronics are used where a creature does not exist, an action is risky or costly, or an action could not be performed with a real person or animal. This technology's main advantage over CGI and stop motion is the physical presence of the puppets in real-time. Over the years, the technology has become more advanced and lifelike.

Disney introduced animatronics in the 1964 film Mary Poppins, featuring an animatronic bird. Films like Jaws and E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial relied heavily on animatronics.

Directors such as Steven Spielberg and Jim Henson have pioneered the use of animatronics. For instance, Henson's The Dark Crystal showcased groundbreaking puppets designed by Brian Froud. Spielberg's Jurassic Park (1993) combined computer-generated imagery with life-sized animatronic dinosaurs built by Stan Winston and his team, creating breathtakingly realistic creatures.

The 1999 BBC miniseries Walking with Dinosaurs combined about 80% CGI and 20% animatronic models. Animatronics designed by British firm Crawley Creatures were better for distance shots and close-ups. The series was later adapted into Walking with Dinosaurs: The Arena Spectacular.

Geoff Peterson is an animatronic human skeleton and sidekick on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson. Built by Grant Imahara of MythBusters, Peterson is referred to as a "robot skeleton."

Advertising

The "Gorilla" ad for Cadbury Schweppes featured an actor inside a gorilla suit with an animatronically animated face. The Slowskys advertising campaign for Comcast Cable's Xfinity broadband Internet service won a gold Effie Award in 2007. These ads featured two animatronic turtles.

Toys

Some examples of animatronic toys include Teddy Ruxpin, Big Mouth Billy Bass, FurReal, Kota the triceratops, Pleo, WowWee Alive Chimpanzee, Microsoft Actimates, and Furby. Brands like Cuddle Barn, PBC International, Telco, Sound N Light, Nika International, Gemmy Industries, and Tickle Me Elmo are well-known for animatronic toys.

Design

An animatronics character is built around an internal supporting frame, usually made of steel. Attached to the "bones" are "muscles" made from elastic netting composed of styrene beads. The frame supports the electronics and mechanical components and shapes the outer skin, which is often made of foam rubber, silicone, or urethane poured into molds. This is supplemented with fabric to add strength.

Structure

The framework of an animatronics character acts as the "skeleton," with joints, motors, and actuators serving as "muscles." Wires connect all the electrical components, resembling a nervous system. Materials such as steel, aluminum, plastic, and wood are used based on their strength, weight, and cost considerations. Eyes and teeth are often made from acrylic.

Materials

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• Latex: This material has high elasticity and is easy to apply. Foam latex is lightweight and used in masks and animatronics for realistic skin. The Wizard of Oz made extensive use of foam latex in the 1930s.
• Silicone: Disney research teams are improving animatronics exteriors by using silicone. RTV silicone is easy to use and works well for molding.
• Polyurethane: This cost-effective material comes in various levels of hardness. Rigid polyurethane foam is used in prototyping, while flexible polyurethane foam bonds well with latex for final builds.
• Plaster: This widely available material's rigidity makes it less suitable for molds with undercuts.

Movement

Pneumatic actuators are used for small animatronics but are not powerful enough for large designs requiring hydraulics. To create realistic movement in large figures, an analog system is used to give them a full range of fluid motion.

Mimicking human and animal movements is challenging. The Facial Action Coding System (FACS) developed by Ekman and Friesen defines six basic emotions recognized through facial expressions. Another theory, the OCC model, defines 22 different emotional categories.

In 2020, Disney revealed a new animatronics robot that can breathe, move its eyes like humans, and select appropriate responses based on identifying people around it.

Training and Education

Animatronics is a multidisciplinary career combining mechanical engineering, casting/sculpting, control technologies, electrical/electronic systems, radio control, and airbrushing. Some colleges and universities offer degree programs in animatronics, typically within robotics degrees.

Students earning a bachelor's degree in robotics commonly complete courses in mechanical engineering, industrial robotics, mechatronics systems, modeling of robotics systems, robotics engineering, foundational theory of robotics, and introduction to robotics.

Animatronics and Artificial Intelligence

As of 2017, Disney is using animatronics and artificial intelligence to simulate characters like Pascal from Tangled in real life.

In Popular Culture

Animatronic characters frequently appear in films and video games, especially in the horror genre and survival horror games.

Films

Short Films

• The Hug, a 2018 horror short film directed by Jack Bishop and Justin Nijm, follows a birthday boy with an awkward encounter with an animatronic panda mascot at a pizzeria. It premiered on Hulu as part of its "Huluween" film competition.

Television

Video Games

See Also

References

Footnotes

Sources

Animatronics at Wikipedia's sister projects

• Definitions from Wiktionary
• Media from Commons
• News from Wikinews
• Quotations from Wikiquote

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