Disney has created a new animatronic robot that, as if it were a Westworld host, is not only capable of making various movements with its head or eyes, but also of doing it with a naturalness that is as disturbing as it is incredible. Because thanks to them he is able to awaken a very complex feeling to generate for the machine: empathy .
Disney’s most humane robot
We all know Disney for its amusement parks and, above all, for its movies. They have been and will always be the great pillars of the company, although we have already seen that over the years there are internal departments that have been gaining relevance.
One of these departments is in charge of the development and management of services such as Disney +, a streaming content platform that does not need any presentation or explanation at this point. Although there are other really important divisions, one of the ones that is advancing the most or achieving more important objectives is that of Disney Research.
The team of engineers that work there not only does it by focusing on a particular business, such as amusement parks, but they do it thinking globally. Hence, his latest proposal could be so interesting as to be used both in parks and in future film and television productions.
This animatronic robot is the latest development from Disney Research and it must be said that although it is a bit disturbing, it is also extremely interesting due to its ability to generate empathy , something really complex for a robot that is usually always a very cold device.
To achieve that naturalness capable of awakening very human feelings, this robot can perform movements of the head, eyes and eyelids that are very reminiscent of those of any real person. And that what you see in the video is simply the entire internal structure of the head, eyes with eyelids and teeth.
If with this appearance, which is very reminiscent of the Westworld hosts when they are in the maintenance area being repaired and scheduled before returning to the park, they are able to awaken that empathy, imagine what would happen when you could see it with a much more human appearance .
To achieve these movements and behavior so human, in addition to the multiple motors, sensors and other technological components that it integrates, one of the key elements is that kind of Kinect or Webcam of the chest that helps you detect the presence of people to begin to behave in a more humane way.
From robots that perform stunts to those who look tenderly
This Disney robot is neither the first nor the last that logically developed at Disney Research. In the past we have seen a multitude of proposals, although never as striking as this one. But that is also obvious, because it is now when technology is more advanced in each and every one of its aspects.
Not only do they make robots capable of very human expressions , a while ago we also got to see one that simulated aerobatics in such a realistic way that it would be used for a new Spiderman ride.
In short, if one day we go back to the Disney parks, we will have to be very attentive to see if the person who attends us is or not a real person.