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Walt Disney Imagineering recruits advanced robotics expert to work on future animatronic figures
- Thread starter wdwmagic
- Start date
I wouldn't go that far, but they are certainly serious on the R&D side of things in-house.
the.dreamfinder
Well-Known Member
Doubtful, this is just for R&D as opposed to production. It's great to see them investing in the hard research, but first management will need to change their view that margin is more important than show or upkeep. I wouldn't expect to see more AAs in the parks, either produced in house or outsourced to Garner, for some time sadly.
sshindel
The Epcot Manifesto
You mean outside of Avatar? I thought it was pretty official news that there were complex AAs being built for that.
I mean, I know James Cameron mentioned some uber-complex ones, but no idea if Disney has ever mentioned it.
the.dreamfinder
Well-Known Member
It was mentioned in @AustinC's FastCo article, but Avatar is all about Bob and James' ego so they'll do whatever they can to make it better than Harry Potter. If you look at Shanghai, there will be almost no AAs with a handful of those project face animated figures, which are not AAs. One highlight was to be Roarin Rapids, which would have had many quality Dino AAs, but from what @WDW1974 has said, they have been cutting back there too.
sshindel
The Epcot Manifesto
It would beg the question why they would hire an advanced robotics guy to do R&D on something they have no intention of using. Of course, it's not the first time someone would have been hired like this, but it would seem odd nonetheless.
the.dreamfinder
Well-Known Member
Research for research's sake. Bruce Vaughn came from WDI R&D, he was a lead on Lucky the Dinosaur, it makes sense for him to hire someone even if the tech doesn't make it into the parks. However, this is the same company that sat on LPS trackless technology for years and will only be bringing it stateside next year with the new Luigi's ride at DCA only after SeaWorld built Antartica almost fifteen years after Hunny Hunt opened at TDL.
MGMBoy
Well-Known Member
Agreed but you've gotta admit that the way it can auto-recover is pretty impressive. VERY interested to see if they ever utilize any of the creations he helps develop.
danlb_2000
Premium Member
Check out this video of another project by the same company. Even more impressive and more creepy.
Figment2005
Well-Known Member
If they could transfer that technology into a bipedal creature, imagine the possibilities.
WDWFREAK53
Well-Known Member
Ohhhh so THESE are the droids they're looking for!
cookiee_munster
Well-Known Member
holy moly! those things ARE creepy!
creepiness aside, i think this is a really great thing to hear. the fact that a lot of people were worried that most rides would go down the route of screen based illusions rather than proper AA's makes me feel more optimistic.
SportsGoofy
Well-Known Member
I look forward to the Disco Na'vi....
flyerjab
Well-Known Member
Imagine an Avatar boat ride with AA's that can move independently through certain scenes. Talk about taking things to a whole new level. One thing I always enjoy about the KS ride in DAK is that it never is truly the same each time you go on it. Imagine a futuristic walkthrough area in Pandora where AA's of the various animals from the Pandora forests are free to roam their respective sections.
