A method of animating models by using specially developed robotic techniques is called animatronics. It is especially useful for museum displays and cinema work, where animatronic models of such creatures as dinosaurs, monsters or aliens can “act” alongside human actors.
An Animatronic is an electro-mechanically animated puppet. It is a modern variant of the automaton and is often used for the portrayal of characters in films and in theme park attractions.
Before the term “animatronics” became common, they were usually referred to as “robots”. Since then, robots have become known as more practical programmable machines that do not necessarily resemble living creatures. Robots (or other artificial beings) designed to convincingly resemble humans are known as “androids”.
Animatronics is a multi-disciplinary field which integrates puppetry, anatomy and mechatronics. Animatronic figures 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 usually 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.
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