Disney's Creepy New Robot Can Blink like a Human *It can gaze into your soul*
Disney's skinless humanoid robot with creepy lifelike eyes. For many years Disney has been using animatronic figures to create life-like characters. Robots in Disney theme parks are carefully designed to achieve human realistic behaviors. Disney Research has been focusing on eye gaze to be even more realistic. The result is a creepy-looking skinless robot wearing a white shirt. A robot designed with a realistic and interactive stare. It includes movable eyes, eyelids and brows to create a human-like gaze.
The robot is fitted with a chest-mounted sensor to determine when a guest is attempting to engage. This sensor activates a series of motors that control interactions. The motors are layered to allow for movements such as breathing, blinking and complex life-like behaviors. A chest-mounted sensor combined with a camera is used to identify people within its field-of-view and determine stimuli based on a curiosity score. A ‘Behavior Selection Engine’ is tasked with directing the behavior of the robot that includes read, glance and engage.
