Disney robots stepped from the screen into the real world (6 photos + 2 videos)

Walt Disney Imagineering, the research and development division of The Walt Disney Company, has developed an adorable bipedal robot. He struts around, dances, interacts with people and shows emotions. And he looks very much like a famous cartoon character!





In a video released by Walt Disney Imagineering, their newest creation walks, dances and emotes. The robot also shows its people skills by reacting to those around it and even follows two children pulling on its leash.

The unnamed robot, with its expressive head and wriggling antenna, was created to bring animators' creative visions to life in the real world using machine learning.

Users of social networks liked the robot: “Great design! I really appreciate beauty and balance. It looks both natural and like a mechanism”, “The engineers are at their best!!! We need more of this in amusement parks!", "Life in the future", "Great job, Disney!", "That's a billion dollar bot. Any child will be delighted. Damn it, I’m 41 years old and I want one of these.”

However, this robotic companion isn't just a cute toy—it's also a major technological step forward for Disney's research division.



In the video's description, Disney Imagineering says, "Creating a bipedal robotic character with impeccable balance is impressive, but it's still not enough as Disney characters strut, prance, sneak, stomp, shuffle, scurry, stroll, or wiggle."

The new robot is very similar to the character from the 2008 cartoon "WALL-E"





The designers say their goal was to create a robot that could be "expressive" while moving



Creating "expressive" robots is something Disney knows a lot about



Disney's software uses animations dreamed up by the creative teams and teaches the robot to approximate those movements in the real world. The robot tries movement thousands of times in the virtual landscape, adjusting factors such as friction with the ground, until it can move and emote no matter where it is.

Using this method, a robot can be taught new behaviors in just a few hours on a single computer, reducing the process of developing a new character from years to months.

The robot, developed by a team led by Moritz Bacher of Disney Research in Zurich, was first presented at the 2023 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS).

The developers created the robotic character with a modular design, 3D printing most of the components and using modular electronics that allow him to be quickly changed and redesigned.

Perhaps such a robot will soon demonstrate its ability to interact with people and respond to their requests in one of the Disney parks



Disney has a long history of using animation and robotics in its parks, dating back to 1971 with the Hall of Presidents. This attraction, which is still open today, features all 45 American presidents in robot form for guests to see and hear.

More recently, Disney has developed a robotic Spider-Man capable of impressive acrobatic feats, as well as a hyper-realistic Na'vi shaman from the movie Avatar.

However, not all Disney creations are cute: the company recently introduced a creepy, skinless robot that realistically imitates the human gaze.