History of Animatronics Part 2

The following is the second installment from a piece on the history of animatonrics written some time ago by LifeFormations President Rodney Heiligmann. It's a little dated, but still an enjoyable read.

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New applications have recently been found for three-dimensional animation outside of amusement and theme parks (Hitchcox, 1993). People who run trade shows, museums, building lobbies, traveling attractions, and other similar applications are beginning to take advantage of the benefits of using three-dimensional animation to tell their stories. Gene Poor, president of a company that makes three-dimensional animated products, described a recent application for one of his products at a trade show, "We made a chart recorder that talks, sings, and even dances as part of a trade show exhibit for an instrument company. 

People who attended the trade show certainly recognized that the figure was a chart recorder, but it spoke directly to them and entertained them--a form of info-tainment" (Gene Poor, personal communication, July, 1995). Artist Tom Kuebler explained that when the company re-creates real people, it can make them move and speak as polished professionals, allowing the company to take extraordinary people, who may have been poor speakers, and make them extraordinary speakers as well.

Researchers at Battelle's Pacific Northwest Laboratories have created one of the most advanced three-dimensional animated characters ever made. The mannequin has about 40 articulated joints designed to provide motion and stress tests on clothing ("Humanlike robotic mannequin," 1988). According to this research, when completed, it will be capable of simulating complex body movements and poses, breathing, body temperature, sweating, and sensing skin temperature.

At the University of Rochester, researchers are discovering ways to allow robots to see using powerful workstations from Sun Microsystems (Manje, 1990). In this situation, the robot's camera eyes can detect color, follow objects in motion, and perceive depth in three-dimensional space. Thus, it is hoped that one day a robot will be able to interact with its surroundings and make rational decisions based on what it sees.