LifeFormations Blog :: Animatronics ~ Museum Figures ~ Animatronic Characters & Shows

Season's Greetings from LifeFormations!

2011-12-20T10:24:00.001-05:00

Greetings from IAAPA!

2011-11-16T16:26:00.006-05:00

Welcome to the industry of Fun! It's IAAPA 2011. Thousands converge in Orlando Florida for 4 days of meetings, strategizing and of course a little "research." In our industry, research consists of visiting as many of Orlando's theme parks and attractions as schedules will allow! It's a tough job, but someone has to be on the cutting edge of fun and entertainment!

We're often asked, "how do you decide what to display at IAAPA?" Past shows include, singing zombies, misguided time travelers, cigar smoking disgruntled clowns and even a unique pair of newlyweds; a 12" groom and his 6'6" wife. (He stood proudly in the palm of her hand.)

This year's show features characters for our friends from Ripley's Believe It Or Not! Our artists and designers work closely with Ripley's creative team to generate conceptual designs for the new cast.

As drawings evolve, the cast and appearance of the characters is defined. Thus, we're proud to present to you this year's featured show.

In addition to entertaining animatronics, our display includes our process for project development from a concept through show opening. The characters from Jaya Ancol Kalila Adventure provide a great example of how LifeFormations creative team achieves a desired design and production goals.

An animated ventriloquist skeleton, our concept for an interactive water ride and an animatronic Jules Verne bust complete this years presentation.

Stop by booth 854 and say hello - or at least to rest a bit in our new lounge. (Couch rental fees are based on demand.)

Project Profile: 4H Frankie the Fox

2011-10-05T09:21:00.002-04:00

Giant Megalodon Shark

2011-09-10T07:54:00.006-04:00

Oh when that shark bites, with his teeth, babe!

We recently finished a giant megalodon shark for a new science center in Florida.

Here is a link to the article and video footage of the beast on its way down the highway!

http://www.local10.com/news/29129250/detail.html

Here is the article content courtesy of Local 10:

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- A giant megalodon ancient shark made its way south on I-95 from Deerfield to Museum of Discovery and Science Friday morning.The megalodon, an extinct species of shark, will be installed in the Prehistoric Florida exhibit in the museum's new EcoDiscovery Center slated to open on November 11.

The new 34,000-sq.-ft. EcoDiscovery Center, which more than doubles the Museum's current exhibit and program space, offers more dynamic hands-on explorations.Visitors can take a ride on the Everglades Airboat Adventure, experience hurricane force winds in the Storm Center, dig for fossils alongside a giant prehistoric megalodon, get close to a confrontation between a saber-toothed cat and an Imperial mammoth, learn about protecting and conserving the Everglades and Florida's natural resources, and follow the natural path water takes through Florida.Visitors can explore the physical principles of water while enjoying the playful antics of North American river otters in their two-story indoor/outdoor habitat.The new wing also features the Mangurian Foundation Lifelong Learning Center with four labs and the 100-seat Keller Science Theater with comfortable seating and technical features to support lectures, exciting science demonstrations, and presentations by community partners.For more information about the Museum, call 954-467-MODS (6637) or visit www.mods.org

Testimonial

2011-09-06T11:49:00.001-04:00

We recently finished a stage show featuring several animatronic figures of historic people for the Dayton History Museum Carillon Park. They were very kind in providing an unsolicited testimonial. We asked for their permission to share it with you.

LifeFormations Team,
I wanted to take a moment to thank you for all of your hard work in
bringing our new theater on line this past week. I realize that you
all worked some ridiculous hours, but it has already begun to pay off
for us. We had a large, enthusiastic crowd on Friday evening and we
were busy all day on Saturday. Sunday is off to a good start as
well. We've heard lots of comments along the line of, "I can't
believe I'm watching this is Dayton." or "Those people look more
realistic than the ones in Disney." Edith Deeds has also been a real
crowd pleaser.
GREAT WORK and THANKS AGAIN!!!
Best,
Alex

Find out more about their facility by visiting their website: http://www.daytonhistory.org/destinations/carillon-park.htm

Animatronics - The right moves!

2011-06-29T07:48:00.002-04:00

The following list is an attempt to create a generalized hierarchy of animatronic movements. The first movements on the list are often the most important for an animatronic to have. As each animatronic exhibit or attraction is different, this hierarchy is simply a starting point for a discussion that should involve the client, show designer, and animatronic designer.

The Essentials
Mouth and eye blinks: The mouth and eye blinks are essential for creating a character that talks. A single digital mouth move can simulate most talking movements, and the blinking eyes are absolutely required.

Head turns and eye turns: Head and eye turns are typically the next movements added because they help the animatronic figure appear to have an awareness of it’s surroundings. The eyes make it appear to look around the room, and the head follows where the eyes lead, just like in humans.

Arm gesture: One or two moves are typically added to the arm or wrist before additional head moves are included. This allows the figure to make a few casual gestures or movements that make it appear that the body could move more if the figure so desired. The audience makes the same assumption about the figure that they make about a human or animal they walk up to: that it could move all if its body parts if it wanted, it just does not need to at that point. Typically the arm movements are concentrated in one arm, with the other arm being positioned so that the lack of movement does not appear unnatural – holding something, leaning on something, etc.

Body move: Once a body has been give the ability to gesture an arm, the next move added is typically a body lean or weight shift. This movement goes a long way toward creating personality in the figure, and also making the figure appear real. The personality comes from the ability of the figure to lean toward part of the audience when delivering a dramatic idea, or lean back when surprised or laughing. The increased realism come from the appearance that the figure’s body is mobile, and so it could walk away if it wanted.

Head nods and tilts: Additional head moves are added to create personality for the figure. It can look up as if remembering something, it can tilt its head if it is curious about something. It can look down if it is sad.

Additional arm moves: These are moves that allow the figure to point at something, or make more sophisticated gestures than the couple of arm moves discussed above.

Additional body moves: These are moves in the torso area that help create a more dynamic presentation, and give the figure the ability to look more places around the room.

Asian Attractions Expo 2011 - Resorts World Sentosa Singapore

2011-06-28T08:41:00.000-04:00

Leads from various corners of the world including Lebanon, Iran, Thailand, UAE, China, Hong Kong, and Korea. It was well worth the trip half way around the world.

The industry is truly buzzing again. Thanks to all who stopped by for a visit at the Asian Attractions Expo 2011 at Resorts World Sentosa Singapore.

Project Profile: S.K. Worm Educational Animatronic

2011-06-15T14:58:00.004-04:00

S. K. Worm arrived at the Erie Basin RC&D office on March 1st, 2010. The project consists of a six foot tall museum quality animatronics model of the NRCS mascot S. K. Worm coming out of a detailed soil monolith. S. K. Worm allows for basic audience interactivity including a push button interface or live remote takeover.

Since his arrival SK has performed 79 days at 130 events. He has made presentations to 17 schools, 58 classes and 1,377 students. S K Worm has helped students meet the Ohio Department of Education Science Standards for soils. Over 31,304 adults and 24,506 children have enjoyed learning about this country’s greatest natural resource, its soil. S. K. Worm was made possible through a generous grant contribution from the Ohio Environmental Education Fund. In addition to this we also received funding from the Lake Erie Buffer Team, Ohio Electric Cooperatives, and Ohio USDA Natural Resource and Conservation Service (NRCS).

SK has traveled over 5,622 miles visiting 17 counties. S. K. Worm is transported in a trailer modified with a wrap showing a cross section of the state of Ohio starting on the shores of Lake Erie and ending on the banks of the Ohio River. Ohio Geology, Ohio energy sources, and conservation practices are depicted on the trailer.

He is currently in good operating order and there are now 23 people trained to operate him.

There is additional information located at the following link: http://www.eriebasinrcd.org/projects.html#dialog

"You have done an amazing job making this project possible and our Council thanks you again." ~ Greg Small Erie Basin RC&D

The process:

Character design development

Maquette miniature

Full size clay sculpt

Introducing, S.K. Worm!

American Association of Museums Conference Houston Texas - Animatronics

2011-05-25T13:22:00.001-04:00

Another industry we really enjoy working in is Museums and Science Centers. Every year industry professionals from curators to carpenters gather for a 4 day conference and trade show. This year Houston Texas is the host city.

LifeFormations has had the pleasure of providing figures (mannequins) animatronics, interactives and other displays for museums for nearly 25 years. In fact, probably our most well known project was for the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield Illinois. http://www.alplm.org/

Our artists and sculptors worked with the design team at BRC Imagination Arts to produce an incredibly powerful tribute to the life of Abraham Lincoln.

The show always serves as a great opportunity to hear from potential clients and reconnect with industry friends.

Here are a few photos of what we had on display this year.

Mr. Bloggy

2011-05-25T11:11:00.001-04:00

We promise more bloggy goodness is on the way. Fortunately we've been busy. Which reminded me of the Mr. Men and Little Miss books.

Of course, our lack of a new post lately could be because of this guy......naaaaah.

A sneak preview of Peppa Pig World animatronics at Paulton's Park.

2011-03-28T13:31:00.008-04:00

LifeFormations is proud to have been a part of the new Peppa Pig World at Paulton's Park.

We will be posting a project recap and photos on the process of producing a variety of animatronic characters of the famous children's show for the new park. Until then, here are a few snap shots of the gang waiting to be packaged and shipped.

Here is a link to an article with a sneak preview of the park.

http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/news/8935199.Pigging_out_at_Paulton_s_Park/

Here is a photo of the Peppa family animatronics in their new home.

And finally a video preview! Listen close, the project manager references "the animatronics made in America." Yep, that was us! Thanks Paulton's Park!

Oldie but a goodie: Health Royale Animatronics

2011-03-08T16:53:00.004-05:00

Health Royale is one of the most interactive autonomous animatronic shows created to date. The game is based on the simple game of trivia tic tac toe. Players choose a square by touching the corresponding square on their touchscreen. Skully, the skeleton host, then asks a question of the 3-foot tall animatronic body part that occupies the chosen square.

Click to enlarge.

The player can then agree or disagree with the answer. A correct answer wins them the square, an incorrect gives it to their opponent. Wisecracks and bantering back and forth help keep the game entertaining for everyone.

Speaking technically, this exhibit contains 12 games, varying degrees of difficulty, and over 130 minutes of possible scripts (questions, answers, jokes, etc.) that can be instantly accessed depending on what the player is...or is not...doing. Once accessed, 6 control systems synchronize 100 different control points, 12 channels of audio, as well as lighting cues and special effects so that the entire exhibit appears to be alive.

Project Profile: Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital

2011-03-01T08:54:00.005-05:00

If you were to create a short list of locations that could really benefit from characters entertaining and interacting with people, certainly a children’s hospital would make that list. And with the typical stereotypes of what a hospital is like on the inside, the potential to really surprise people with really well created characters was incredible.

Background
The folks at Johnson Hospital in New Jersey hired COSI Studio to dress up part of the hospital. The goal was to create several elements that patients and guests could enjoy, without interrupting the day-to-day operations of the hospital. COSI designed several animals in an African art style. The animated figure told jokes, short stories, and called out the time at certain times of the day. The static figures housed interactive games.

The Figures
The interactive figures: The turtle lets you play tic tac toe on his belly through touch sensitive copper plates activate fiber optics in the squares. The Giraffe calls out guests’ heights when they stand under her head. The Snake uses lasers to allow guests to play the harp. The monkey makes different sounds when touching different fruits in his hat.

The Masks:
An elephant, rhinoceros, and hippopotamus mount each hang on a wall where they tell jokes, short stories, and yell out the time at certain times of the day.

The Objectives
1. The characters must not scare even the youngest of children
With any show, the audience must be defined very early in the design process. In this case, the goal of the characters was to cheer up patients and visitors in the children’s hospital. The finished product had to make sure it did not make the stay in the hospital any worse than it may already be. The storybook and arts & crafts style of the characters made them attractive to the younger crowd without threatening or scaring them.

2. The characters had to be touched, but could not hurt anyone.

Given the location, there was not room to create display work that could keep people from touching the characters. The overall textures and color patterns assured that any nicks or scratches could be touched up relatively easily and without calling attention to themselves.

Where there were moving parts, two techniques were used to greatly reduce the risk of pinched fingers: 1) the air pressure used to actuate the potential pinch moves was set to a very low air pressure; and 2) at the locations where a pinch was possible (corners of the mouth), foam and cloth was used and painted to match harder, more durable shells covering the rest of the figures.

Project Profile: Big Yummy! Animatronic Show

2011-02-22T12:24:00.002-05:00

The audience with the shortest attention span probably belongs to elementary school students on a field trip. Creating an exhibit that successfully communicates something as complicated as how food gets from the farmer’s field to the kitchen table can be something of a tall order. COSI Columbus was given just such a challenge when they received a grant to help create an exhibit using animatronics about agriculture.

Background
When the agriculture exhibit came up, they decided to turn a lunchroom into an old vaudeville dinner theater style show. Students are invited to eat their lunch during a 30-minute talent show where the food is the star and agriculture is the theme. The actors sing and dance about the role agriculture plays in everyone’s lives. At the end of the show, the host invites the crowd to select the winner of the prestigious Big Yummy award.

The Figures

Leche, the host: A 4’ milk carton on a 20 foot track, Leche was able to enter from the rear of the stage, exit stage left, and stop anywhere along the way. He was made largely of fabric to allow considerable stretching
Corn Cob Bob and Butter, the ventriloquist act:
Tofu, the tap dancer:
Tomato, the stunt person:
Beans, the acrobats:
Leftover, the blues singer:
Hard boiled Egg, the heckler:

The Objectives
1) Attract their attention
Certainly this is an objective of any exhibit or attraction, but with elementary school students, it is particularly difficult to accomplish. The characters had to be something they hadn’t seen before, and they had to be believable. This situation creates something in visitors we call hindsight expectations. This occurs when an audience does not have any formed expectations before seeing something, but can immediately critique why something did or did not meet their expectations after they see it. This happens when someone sees something like a Dragon, an alien, or in this case, talking food.

For the Big Yummy characters, hindsight expectations were both a blessing and a challenge. On one hand, nobody has seen a daredevil tomato sitting in a canon before, so the audience does not have anything against which to compare the figure. Whatever the character looks like, it should be accepted by them as normal. On the other hand, because there is no existing benchmark, believability becomes very subjective. Although the audience may not have seen other stunt daredevil tomato figures, they have seen other daredevils, and they have seen other tomatoes. Items like a tomato’s color, texture, and movement, as well as a daredevil’s voice and personality must be at least loosely followed to create the suspension of disbelief for the audience (see sidebar: Suspension of Disbelief).

When the finished project is able to withstand hindsight expectations, and allow the audience to create and maintain their suspension of disbelief, and the audience is sucked into the show and the message can be delivered.

2) Hold their attention
Once the audience is sucked into the show, their attention must be held for the duration of the show. In the exhibit world, this is called holding power. Is the exhibit able to hold the attention of the visitor long enough to deliver the intended message or provide the intended experience? Given the length of this show – 30 minutes – there were several attention holding techniques used. One of the key audience holding techniques used was the reveal. The audience was never quite sure where the next character would appear. Sometimes they entered in from the side of the stage. Sometimes they rose up through the floor. Sometimes they poked through the curtain. The show could not afford to become predictable or it would not be able to hold the audience’s attention.

Another holding technique used was bouncing the audience’s attention between characters. Just like a human actor, the characters can only hold an audience’s attention for so long. Generally, the more movement a figure has, the longer it can hold the audience’s attention. And by combining figures, a Gestalt effect is created. The holding time of several characters bantering back and forth is longer than the sum of each character’s individual holding time.

For The Big Yummy there were at least three or four characters available to banter back and forth at any time. Obviously the host anchored the show, and was able to talk with the characters as the entered and exited the stage. Some of the actors were part of a team, such as the ventriloquist act and the bouncing beans. And always available to jump where the show may need a little help keeping the audience’s attention, the heckling Egg figure hollered out insults from the back of the theater.

LifeFormations celebrates 20th anniversary in 2011

2011-02-02T08:06:00.000-05:00

Give us a hand, we're celebrating our 20 year anniversary! (30 years in the business - 20 as LifeFormations)

LifeFormations was established in 1981 as a division of a Toledo exhibit company by Bowling Green State University professor, Dr. Gene Poor. In 1991, Gene purchased the division and formed what is now LifeFormations. Over the past 20 years, our team of artists and craftspeople has steadily grown as we created over 1000 projects for museums, science centers, corporations, and theme parks. Today, LifeFormations is owned by 6 employee partners, including Gene.

Look for more pictures and stories soon as we continue our year long reflection on 30 years in the industry of fun.

Project profile from the vault: Disney animatronics on Parade

2011-02-01T10:24:00.001-05:00

Disneyland, Hong Kong – Disney on Parade

LifeFormations created a series of stylized animatronic animals based on the cute critters from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. The electro-mechanical figures were integrated into two parade floats that were part of the Disney on Parade daily show.

Animatronic Characters

Custom Sculpting
Custom Fabrication
Custom Artistic Finish

Artistic rendering of the float design.

2011-01-31T10:58:00.000-05:00

Just a quick note to let you know we've added a form on our home page to sign up for our newsletter - if that interests you.

http://lifeformations.com/index.html

Project Profile: Ripley's Believe It or Not!

2011-01-25T08:47:00.045-05:00

LifeFormations designed and produced a series of interactive exhibits and related theming for Ripley’s Odditoriums around the world. Each interactive experience has been designed to engage a segment of the audience that may otherwise not fully appreciate the “Believe-it-or-not” artifacts presented in the odditoriums.

Maniacal Melodies - Interactive sound studio. Guests experiment with both the worlds 10 most beloved and offensive sound effects. The noises are generated over a background composition creating their own symphony.

Some of the interactives were designed to engage a younger audience looking for an explore-and-discover experience. In other instances, the interactives offer an individual or competitive challenge allowing a guest to compete against themselves or other guests. And in some cases, the interactives encourage a social interaction in which each guest could contribute to a larger shared experience or show.

LifeFormations Contributions: (All provided in-house.)

Set work

Audio/video production

Animatronic Characters

Custom Sculpting
Custom Fabrication
Custom Artistic Finish
Show programming

Control systems including interactive circuitry

A/V playback systems

Interactive & Show Concept Design

Coordination station. Guests test their physical coordination by following prompts and cues from the themed interactive.

An animatronic clown turns a crank putting a giant hand in motion beckoning guests.

Magic lamps: Guest touch the themed lamps releasing a video image of a genie. There is playful banter between the guests and the genies - the one on the screen and the others still in their lamps.

Warehouse video wall: Guest witness the shipping and receiving warehouse hub of the Ripley's Odditoriums. This serves as a pre-show to the facility. The host (a video image) welcomes visitors and informs them of the amazing attractions arriving at the facility.

Project Profile: Great Wolf Lodge Animatronics Show

2011-01-18T14:28:00.009-05:00

LifeFormations created 10 Glockenspiel Animatronic shows for the Great Wolf Lodges throughout the United States. Standing 3 stories tall, the shows serve as the center piece of the resorts, greeting guests as they enter the lobby.

Twice an evening, guests gather around the glockenspiel, awaiting the 15 minute musical show featuring two young people learning about nature and the world around them. As the show unfolds, animal characters are revealed joining the cast from their hiding places around the glockenspiel and nearby trees.

LifeFormations Contributions: (Provided In-House)

Animatronic Characters; Humans, Animals, & Trees

Custom Sculpting
Custom Fabrication
Custom Artistic Finish

Show programming

Control Systems

Lighting

Sound System

Here is video courtesy of the Great Wolf Lodge Kansas City. Enjoy.

History of Animatronics Part 2

2011-01-18T13:38:00.002-05:00

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.

___________________________________________________

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.

Meet our artist Lara McGlaughlin

2011-01-06T15:00:00.010-05:00

The most soft-spoken of our team, Lara is not one to boast, but we gladly will for her. An award winning artist, she supervises the aesthetics of every project assuring the visual details are true to the essence of the story and audience experience.

She excels when left alone to sculpt. If you have a chance to meet her you'll understand why we enjoy promoting both her artistic ability and the pleasant demeanor in which it is delivered.

Without further adieu, here's a Q&A with Lara Melton-McGlaughlin.

(We'll start with the typical stuff first.)

Q: How long have you been with LifeFormations?
A: Since 1991.

Q: Where did you go to college?
A: Columbus College of Art and Design with a BFA in Illustration.

Q: What would you be doing if not working for LifeFormations?
A: Home with my 2 children.

Q: What is your favorite project that you have worked on with LifeFormations?
A: Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library & Museum. While it was challenging at times, I feel I definitely grew as an artist.

Q: What would you love to sculpt or work on?
A: I would love to work on 3d illustrations - a combination of traditional 2d media that features layering, texture and sculpture for a very stylized manner of presentation.

Q: If you had a time machine would you explore the future or the past?
A: Neither, (giggling) I would stay right here.

Q: What Inspires you?
A: My co-workers. (Pause) Theater productions - it's amazing what they can accomplish within a confined stage and rigid parameters.

Odd as it sounds, sights like this aren't uncommon at LifeFormations.

Q: What's your favorite movie?
A: Too tough to answer....Die Hard (Editorial comment.)

Q: Whats your favorite food?
A: Pizza!

Q: What's more fascinating the ocean or outer space?
A: The ocean. I grew up around the water. My father was a sailor - he designed and built sail boats.

Q: Who would make a better president Kermit the Frog or Pappa Smurf?
A: Kermit. The show was a collection of chaotic, creative personalities - and he managed to keep it organized. (a long pause) A lot like working at LifeFormations!

Q: Any final thoughts?
A: Nope...I'm thoughtless.

Q: Who is your favorite blog interviewer?
A: Jeff

Thanks for your time Lara - now get back to work.

A special holiday reunion for LifeFormations artist.

2011-01-04T10:53:00.007-05:00

LifeFormations artist Adam Silbaugh recently applied his talents on a unique project for a rather special client. Adam's client is his brother - Sergeant David Silbaugh of the First Infantry Army - who just wrapped up his second tour in Iraq and arrived home last night (Jan. 3rd) from a year long deployment.

Adam and family were there to greet him making it a very special holiday gathering. David asked Adam to custom sculpt a miniature military tribute sculpture. Adam worked with David via email to produce the piece to his liking. This was David's first opportunity to examine the piece in person. Adam cast the sculpture several times producing enough for David to distribute as a personal gift to his military colleagues - while showing off is brother's talents!

LifeFormations Artist Adam Silbaugh works on a tribute sculpture.

We're extremely proud of Adam - and equally proud of his brother David. We couldn't help but share this to boast a little about our artists.

We would also like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank Sergeant David Silbaugh and the entire First Infantry for your service. Welcome home!

Miniature military sculptures.

Roller coaster riding Santa Claus!

2010-12-16T15:56:00.004-05:00

We got a fun phone call from Pacific Park on the Santa Monica Pier. They asked us to produce a life size realistic figure of the Jolly Elf himself; Santa Claus. The kicker? They wanted him to ride along with park guests in the last car of their roller coaster.

Sure it had unique parameters, but thats what this industry is all about! The thought of Kris Kringle and his rosy red cheeks imprinted with a grin from ear to ear as he enjoys the thrill of a good coaster ride - We're in!

To get things rolling (no pun intended) their staff sent over the specifications and dimensions of the coaster car. Our artists and technicians then moved to various stages of fabrication and production to create a Santa Claus that would be exposed to some unique environmental conditions.

The result? Well, please see the photo below that was featured in the local news. It speaks for itself!

History of Animatronics

2010-12-14T09:08:00.009-05:00

Rodney Heiligmann is one of those unique individuals who has always had a very clear vision of what he wanted to be when he grew up (we emphasize when) - and that is working in the Amusement and Themed Entertainment industry. His passion and love of the industry is evident in his energetic leadership style. Challenges are embraced, creativity is required but above all, he is on a quest to provide guests with memorable experiences - much like those that inspired him as a child resulting in his position as President of LifeFormations.

He recently sheepishly shared a research paper he produced in college on the history of animatronics or lifelike robots. We convinced him to let us share a few snippets with you.

Here is the first in a new series of blog entries we will post on the history animatronics.
Enjoy!

Modern Uses of Lifelike Robots

In 1939, Westinghouse Electric Corporation built a mechanical man capable of performing 26 movements and responding to commands spoken into a microphone (Simons, 1983). The mechanical man was built for the New York World's Fair; it converted words into electrical impulses, which were used to operate relays controlling 11 motors.

Twenty years later, advancements in hydraulics, pneumatics, electronics, and computer controls provided a visionary by the name of Walt Disney with the technology he had been looking for to create life-size, three-dimensional animated figures (Bright, 1987). He named his newly created technology audio-animatronics. Disney's first major project with the newly developed audio-animatronics was an animated Abraham Lincoln. Inside Lincoln were 16 airlines to his head, hands, and wrists and 14 hydraulic lines to his body. These controls gave Lincoln 15 facial expressions and 22 body movements. Based on the success of this figure, Disney was hired by a number of different companies to build audio-animatronic displays for the 1964 World's Fair. Perhaps the most popular exhibit was called Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln, in which an animated Abraham Lincoln told the audience about his life and times.

The handful of companies capable of using the sophisticated technology required to make lifelike animated figures, or animatronics, have traditionally targeted theme parks as their primary customers (Hitchcox, 1993). Because these figures are created for a live exhibits instead of for motion pictures, they must perform consistently accurate, precise, and particularly lifelike movements several times a day (Horgan, 1993). A 16-foot-tall animated figure of a cat, "Tiger," not only performs, but also converses and interacts with members of the audience in Universal Studios' "Fival Goes West Musical Review" (Martinez, 1993). Tiger's movements are designed to look as real as possible. To accomplish this feat, the designers used 11 different movements including a waist turn, waist bend, head turn, head nod, head tilt, left forearm up and down, right forearm up and down, left shoulder up and down, right shoulder up and down, left forearm in and out, and right forearm in and out. This use of movements is a typical setup for a figure using a limited number of movements to achieve lifelike results. Most other theme-park exhibits, including the very popular ones of dinosaurs, use the same types of movements to achieve a lifelike appearance (Horgan, 1993).

Atlantis interactive water ride as seen at IAAPA 2010

2010-11-30T11:34:00.010-05:00

The LifeFormations team, working with Mack Rides, recently unveiled a new concept for an interactive water ride adventure at IAAPA 2010. It was very well received. We've provided an experience description and photos for your enjoyment.

Imagine you and your friends boarding an ancient nautical vessel to explore the majestic ruins of the mythical lost city of Atlantis. Legend has it - according to our design team - that a mysterious creature (animatronic) guards this beautiful architectural graveyard. Not to fear, your team is armed with high powered water guns to fend off foes; man or beast! You quickly discover your guide is a friendly playful little character (animatronic) that calls this enchanted world home. He is your new ally and the key to successfully traversing the watery playground.

Your goal is to make it safely through the ruins, but you also must use your weapons to engage as many targets as possible as you go. If your aim is accurate, you will set off a series of entertaining effects found throughout the adventure. These include water canons, fountains, water powered machines and a plethora of other wet wild mayhem! Whew!

Here's the kicker, not only do you need to keep a cautious eye for mythical creatures, you quickly realize you are the target for other park guests as well! A scenic walk way around the water ride is littered with sneaky water guns and interactives throughout the landscape. This allows other park guests to be a part of your adventure!

The following is a list of technical specifications for your convenience:
- Boat capacity available in either 6 or 8 people
- Track length is shown as 450 ft.
- Guests per hour is between 600 and 1000 depending on desired ride speed and boat capacity

The track and theming can be customized to a desired footprint. We are building on our experiences with projects such as Dollywood's River Battle and Europa Park's Whale Adventures - Splash Tours to bring you the lastest concept for an interactive themed water attraction. If you have a potential space in mind and would like to discuss this further, please contact one of our representatives; we would love to hear from you! 419-352-2101 info@lifeformations.com

Thanks for your interest in LifeFormations!

Atlantis Interactive Ride Display as seen at IAAPA 2010

Schematic Architectural Ride Layout

Closeup of conceptual model

Animatronic Creature Concepts

Artist Doug Kampfer carefully works his craft on the model.

IAAPA 2010 Pirate Animatronics Show

2010-11-18T13:59:00.008-05:00

Greetings from the IAAPA floor. The show has been very active visiting existing clients and industry friends while also developing relationships for the future.

Attached are several photos of our booth we thought you might enjoy. The main feature is 3 shipwrecked animatronic pirates singing and dancing. They are obviously very lonely and had too much rum because they've turned to modified mops and boat oars for female companionship. They perform the song "I believe in miracles...since you came along, you sexy thing!" by Hot Chocolate.

Click HERE to view video of the show!

We also have Dufan one of the animated characters produced for our friends from Ancol on display.

We're excited to share a new concept for an interactive water ride through the ruins of Atlantis. Our team designed and produced a beautiful 3d concept model for show guests to view; hopefully we will have the opportunity to bring this to life at a theme park in the near future!

Thanks for you interest in LifeFormations!

- Main feature; the pirate show -

- Dufan for Ancol -

- Atlantis Water Ride Model -

Susanne Fruland visiting with show guests.

IAAPA 2010 Sneak Peak

2010-11-12T13:14:00.001-05:00

Okay, we couldn't resist a little tease.

So what happens when 3 lonely pirates find themselves shipwrecked on a tiny island with a generous amount of rum? Stop by the LifeFormations booth #863 at IAAPA to find out!

The IAAPA Booth

2010-11-11T18:33:00.003-05:00

It's exciting for us to hear from those who attend IAAPA on a regular basis that our booth is always tops on their list for a visit; curious to see what kind of crazy display we unveil next. We didn't realize we were creating this buzz of anticipation. The IAAPA display was simply our moment to entertain ourselves and stretch out creatively. It's rewarding to hear from so many that share a laugh with us!

Occasionally, we bring some characters or set work that we are working on for a client, but in most years the concept, characters, set work and show elements are all brewed, stewed and - in some cases - tattooed product of our imagination.

We start with creative "what if" sessions. Our entire team is present so the attraction has contributions from all walks of LifeFormations; fabrication, art, control department and administrative staff. We rapid fire ideas smothering a dry erase board with concepts, gags, scenes and characters. We narrow in on one, then zero in on a song that will inspire the characters to dance while delivering the punch line and wa-la! Believe it or not, this formula has even produced a couple of IAAPA exhibit awards.

Whats in store for 2010? Well, you'll have to visit our booth at 863 to find out. Or you can check back here; we'll post a recap and photos.

In the meantime here is a look back at a few exhibits from the past. Enjoy!

Newest team member has an "Eye" for fabrication.

2010-11-11T15:02:00.001-05:00

It didn't take long for Brad McCauley to make a significant contribution to the LifeFormations fabrication department. One of the most intricate procedures in breathing life into an animatronic character is assembling the eye mechanism. Brad was able to conquer the feat in only his 4th week on the job - a testament to the experience and talent he brings to our team.

The entire team recently took a break from intense preparations for IAAPA 2010 to celebrate Brad's accomplishments; and take a well deserved break from a flurry of activity. And how does our creative crew celebrate moments like this you might ask? Well, with a cake in the shape of giant eyeballs of course! Complete with a nod to the team's efforts to keep production running smoothly while preparing for "eye"-aapa.

2010 Pumpkin Carving Contest

2010-10-28T11:23:00.001-04:00

Every Halloween we turn our creative crew loose on the fruit of the fall in a pumpkin carving (we use that term loosely) contest. Its a joy to see their talents unleashed.

Forget the traditional jackolantern devious grin and triangle eyes and check out how our team puts their unique spin on a fun Halloween tradition!

10 Laws of Animatronics by LifeFormations

2010-10-20T08:58:00.005-04:00

We’ve been studying what works and what doesn’t work in animatronics for over 25 years. What we found is that the animatronic characters that perform successfully are almost always in alignment with some fundamental notions. After years of studying and analyzing applications and characteristics, we have assembled our findings into ten basic laws that govern animatronic success and failure in the entertainment and educational arenas. As Frank Murphy of the MGM Casino and Theme Park Design Team would say, “Ignore them at your own risk!”

1. The law of distance. The greater the distance between the audience and an animatronic character, the more you can getaway with in terms of believability. Distance will determine everything from the quaility of make-up and hair to how many character movements are necessary to be convincing. In the early Disney animatronics, Walt would never let audiences within 30-40 feet of a life-like human character. Consider the early Lincoln attractions. Abe was located high on a stage - far removed from direct audience contact. Disney knew that Lincoln’s early animatronic movements were not technically sophisticated and distance would help masquerade those limitations - thus increasing believability. More recently, the Madame Tassauds attraction in the Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas has installed an Elvis animatronic utilizing the Law of Distance - hoping to increase the believability of that character.

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2. The law of time. The shorter the time animatronics are veiwed the less sophisticated a character needs to be. Consider a typical animatronic dark ride application - if the audience is traveling in a moving car at a fairly rapid rate of speed, eye blinks and eye turns would not be a character requirement. Those kinds of movements wouldn’t be seen, appreciated, or add to the experience. On the other hand, the longer a character is seen by an audience, the more sophisticated it needs to be – if the audinece is watching a historic animatronic figure tell a two minute story, the audience is going to notice if the eyes do not blink or the arms never move.

3. The law of numbers. The more animatronics performing and/or the more movements each character has increases the total audience “attention” holding time. A single character can only hold an audience for a short period of time without revealing additional movements (surprises). However, multiple animatronics allow interaction between each other and the variety of personalities generally increases the effective performance time. With multiple animatronic characters interacting, it is easier to set up a good/bad or right/wrong relationship. That relationship generally helps with Law #7.

4. The law of non-human. Non-human animatronic characters are not judged as critically as human life-like ones. No one really knows what a talking beverage bottle, animated garbage can, or singing chicken is supposed to look like. Hence their movements aren’t judged consciously or even unconsciously by your audience. You can get away with fewer movements and take some real risks with what they do and say!

5. The law of surprises. Revealing surprises helps keep audience attention. Those surprises can be additional animatronic moves, special effects, or just some unusual animatronic act. LifeFormations applied this technique on the award winning IAAPA "rapping clown" with his pelvic thrust and cigar that actually lit up and emitted smoke. Disney’s Will Rogers animated figure that performed a lasso trick is another example of this technique.

6. The law of singing. Audiences are addicted to animatronic characters that sing. There is something mesmerizing about things that sing that aren’t human. We have witnessed this phenomena consistently in various venues. For instance, Honeywell had Lifeformations design and build an animated hospital operating room for a medical administrator’s trade show - a relatively conservative audience to say the least. The booth stopped visitors dead in their tracks and the message was burned into their brains with music and singing by the animatronics. People were leaving the hall singing the songs while humming Honeywell’s praises. A side note - Honeywell gathered over 100 qualified sales leads during that show compared to 5 the previous year!

7. The law of personality. Scripting, voice talent, and personality are critical to animatronic character believability. All of these components go hand-in-hand to form a character’s soul. We urge clients to think first in terms of a distinguishable personality when concepting an animatronic character. If the personality is not a given inherent quality, we then urge them to think in terms of famous personalities to reference. We often ask, “if your character could be a film or television star - who would it be?” That identification generally helps set the character design process in motion and makes both the scripting and voice talent selection easier. Be sure to use a script writer who understands the animatronic medium and a voice talent that can bring life and personality to the narration.

8. The law of brevity. Brevity in performances is your best friend - leave audiences wanting more. We encourage clients to limit any presentation to a minute or less per animatronic character. This law is simply the most difficult for client’s to understand. They typically have an hour of content to share. We constantly remind clients that audiences don’t remember much and the secret to being a bore is to tell everything. Note: The law of brevity can be broken by carefully and skillfully incorporating laws 4, 5, 6, and 7. Remember - if the audience stays around for an additional performance - you just received the equivalent of an Academy Award for Animatronic Performances.

9. The law of scale. Changing the size and proportions of things helps create audience interest and grabs their attention. For instance, make things that are small, big. For example we designed and built an animatronic talking house for Honeywell’s Trade Show booth that stole the Homebuilder’s show. The six foot long house came alive and talked about all of the places in a typical home that Honeywell products can be utilized.

10. The law of the edge. If it’s appropriate and possible - go over the top with your character - push the edge. The beauty of animatronic characters is their ability to do things that other media can not and repeat that ability over and over - flawlessly. We encourage clients to push the limits. Show people something they’ve never seen. Be audacious! Have the spirit of P.T. Barnum! It’s show business. Make it funny. Make it crazy. Get their attention! Deliver the message! Risk nothing - gain nothing! Joan Rivers once said ”Most stars play it safe because they have too much to lose. Superstars are the ones who throw caution to the wind; improvise impulsively; go for the high note. Superstars give it everything they’ve got and hold back nothing at all. In a word, the difference is guts.” Have guts - get edgy!

Blog launched!

2010-10-12T09:15:00.004-04:00

We're excited to offer another manner for sharing news and information about LifeFormations - introducing our blog.

So stay tuned for routine blasts about projects, our artists, techniques and other fun "behind the scenes" tid bits about LifeFormations.

To get started, here is a sneak peek at a few sculpts recently finished.

The photo below is our control and fabrication team working on the animation for the Wadlo animatroic character produced for Ripley's Believe it or Not. As you can see Wadlo can animate from the seated to a standing postion. Given his height, it makes for a powerful presentation as he rises to over 7' tall!

You can always learn more at lifeformations.com