Disney launches robot stuntman that can fly
Disney has developed the prototype for an autonomous robot stuntman that can move, fly and perform somersaults.
The media company’s research and development arm, Disney Imagineering, created the “Stuntronic” to potentially replace stuntmen by performing incredible aerial feats.
The robotic stuntman is built in a humanoid form so that characters like Buzz Lightyear and The Incredibles family might one day leap off the screen and into aerial acrobatics at Disney’s theme parks.
Until the development of this robot, Disney's animatronic figures were stationary and could only follow an exact set of rules.
In a statement, Disney said: “It knows when to tuck its knees to perform a somersault, when to pull its arms to twist, and even when to slow down its spin to make sure it sticks that perfect landing.”
The 90lb animatronic has a body made of three sections and pneumatic cylinders that provide flexibility. It uses an in-built accelerometer and gyroscope to guide its high-flying stunts through precise calculations.
The robot is a result of development from a Disney research project called Binary Robotic Inertially Controlled Brick (BRICK).
Disney’s latest iteration opens up new opportunities to deliver spectacles that up the ante for its audience in new ways - a boost to the company whose roster of standout dynamic characters has expanded over the past few years following Disney’s purchase of Star Wars.
“We’d like to do something that’s not just human, but beyond human,” said Morgan Pope, associate research scientist with Disney Research. “The hope here is that we’re delivering something physical and tangible, as opposed to virtual and digital.”
Waxworks Madame Tussaud's dabbled in robotics earlier this year, creating its first intelligent figure which not only moves but senses people and changes its behaviour based on its surroundings.
The search for robots to replace humans in more dangerous situations has continued outside theme parks.
Last month, Russia's robot platform FEDOR was touted as possibly sending robots to space as early as next year. The organisation's aim is to produce robots capable of replacing humans in risky situations while in orbit.
Last month OpenAI, a non-profit organisation that was co-founded by Elon Musk, revealed an advanced robotic hand which is able to teach itself to manipulate everyday objects using a human-like hand.
The robot hand, called Dactyl, learned its movements using computer simulations, involving repeated trial and error experiments with a virtual robot hand until it perfected complicated movements.
