Two-Legged, 3D-Printed Robot from Disney Research Mimics an Animated Character
- BY Sandra Helsel
- May 28, 2015
- 1 min read
Source: http://inside3dprinting.com/
(ZNews) — Disney researchers have built a 3D-printed, two-legged robot that mimics the looks and movements of an animated character. Katsu Yamane and his team at Disney Research Pittsburgh analyzed the character’s motion to design a robotic frame that could duplicate the walking motion using 3D-printed links and servo motors, while also fitting inside the character’s skin. The control software keeps the robot balanced while duplicating the character’s gait as closely as possible.
Yamane said that the biggest challenge was that designers generally didn’t consider physics when they create an animated character. Roboticists must wrestle with physical constraints throughout the process of creating a real-life version of the character. The joints of the robot differ from what the animated character had, and the researchers couldn’t duplicate the character’s joint movements. They identified the position trajectories of the character’s pelvis, hips, knees, ankle, and toes that the robot would need to duplicate.
