Visited some of the Disney robotics labs long ago.
Once More, With Feeling: Exploring Relatable Robotics at Disney Disney’s newest robot uses motion (and failure) to become a charming character MORGAN POPE
This is a guest post. In IEEE. The views expressed here are solely those of the author and do not represent positions of IEEE Spectrum or the IEEE.
Most robotics projects focus on the output: What does this robot do? Is it reliable, is it precise, and can it achieve its goals? But at Disney, our focus is on the story: How does this robot make you feel? Is it emotive, is it relatable, and does it authentically reflect a character people know in its mannerisms, gait, or expressions?
This context changes everything. Take walking, for example—in robotics, it’s generally a priority to maximize the stability of a walking gait, since falling down doesn’t help you move crates or explore terrain. At Disney, however, a stable walking gait is less important than a gait that brings a character to life. Falling down can be wildly entertaining, as long as the falling happens in character!
About a year ago, our team came to a realization: We needed robots that didn’t mind taking the occasional tumble. If we’re going to be free to explore fun and evocative performances with our robots, failure had to be an option. And not only that—failure had to be expected, and built into the design. We called our new project “Indestructibles” and set out toward the goal implied by that name.
A cartoonish grey humanoid robot with its arms held out ...
On 10 March 2023, we were able to show off our latest Indestructibles prototype at SXSW in Austin, Texas. We were nervous. We knew this little character had charmed us, but we couldn’t be sure her personality would come through on such a big stage with a brand-new audience. But from the moment she peeked her head out of her crate, the energy in the crowd let us know they were not only seeing her but cheering for her. We were thrilled! .... '
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