Animatronics

Animatronics is the use of cable-pulled devices or motors to animate a replica of a human or an animal, or bring lifelike characteristics to an otherwise inanimate object. Animatronics were first introduced by Disney in 1962 for the film Mary Poppins (released in 1964) which featured an animatronic bird. This was controlled fully by bicycle cables. Modern animatronics tend to use robotics and have found widespread applications in movie special effects and theme parks and have, since their inception, been primarily used as a spectacle of amusement. A robot designed to be a convincing imitation of a human is more specifically labeled as an android. Animatronics is the use of cable-pulled devices or motors to animate a replica of a human or an animal, or bring lifelike characteristics to an otherwise inanimate object. Animatronics were first introduced by Disney in 1962 for the film Mary Poppins (released in 1964) which featured an animatronic bird. This was controlled fully by bicycle cables. Modern animatronics tend to use robotics and have found widespread applications in movie special effects and theme parks and have, since their inception, been primarily used as a spectacle of amusement. A robot designed to be a convincing imitation of a human is more specifically labeled as an android. Animatronics is a multi-disciplinary field which integrates anatomy, robots, mechatronics, and puppetry resulting in lifelike animation. Animatronic figures are often powered by pneumatics, hydraulics, and/or by electrical means, and can be implemented using both computer control and human control, including teleoperation. Motion actuators are often used to imitate muscle movements and create realistic motions in limbs. Figures are covered with body shells and flexible skins made of hard and soft plastic materials and finished with details like colors, hair and feathers and other components to make the figure more lifelike. Animatronics is a portmanteau of animate and electronics. The term Audio-Animatronics was coined by Walt Disney in 1961 when he started developing animatronics for entertainment and film. Audio-Animatronics does not differentiate between animatronics and androids. Autonomatronics was also defined by Disney Imagineers, to describe a more advanced Audio-Animatronic technology featuring cameras and complex sensors to process information around the character's environment and respond to that stimulus. The 3rd-century BC text of the Liezi describes an encounter between King Mu of Zhou and an 'artificer' known as Yan Shi, who presented the king with a life-size automaton. The 'figure' was described as able to walk, pose and sing, and when dismantled was observed to consist of anatomically accurate organs. The 5th-century BC Mohist philosopher Mozi and his contemporary Lu Ban are attributed with the invention of artificial wooden birds (ma yuan) that could successfully fly in the Han Fei Zi and in 1066, the Chinese inventor Su Song built a water clock in the form of a tower which featured mechanical figurines which chimed the hours. In 1515, Leonardo da Vinci designed and built the Automata Lion, one of the earliest described animatrons. The mechanical lion was presented by Giuliano de’ Medici of Florence to Francois I, King of France as a symbol of an alliance between France and Florence. The Automata Lion was rebuilt in 2009 according to contemporary descriptions and da Vinci's own drawings of the mechanism. Prior to this, da Vinci had designed and exhibited a mechanical knight at a celebration hosted by Ludovico Sforza at the court of Milan in 1495. The 'robot' was capable of standing, sitting, opening its visor and moving its arms. The drawings were rediscovered in the 1950s and a functional replica was later built.