30-04-2011, 11:12 AM
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ABSTRACT
Animatronics is a cross between animation and electronics. Basically, an animatronics is a mechanized puppet. It may be preprogrammed or remotely controlled. An abbreviated term originally coined by Walt Disney as "Audio-Animatronics" (used to describe his mechanized characters), can actually be seen in various forms as far back as Leonardo-Da-Vinci's Automata Lion, (theoretically built to present lilies to the King of France during one of his Visits), and has now developed as a career which may require combined talent in Mechanical Engineering, Sculpting / Casting, Control Technologies, Electrical / Electronic, Airbrushing, Radio-Control. Long before digital effects appeared, animatronics were making cinematic history. The scare generated by the Great White coming out of the water in "Jaws" and the tender otherworldliness of "E.T." were its outcomes. The Jurassic Park series combined digital effects with animatronics.
It is possible for us to build our own animatronics by making use of ready-made animatronics kits provided by companies such as Mister Computers where no programming skills are required. Only knowledge of Windows is required.
1. INTRODUCTION
The first use of Audio-Animatronics was for Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room in Disneyland, which opened in June, 1963. The Tiki birds were operated using digital controls; that is, something that is either on or off. Tones were recorded onto tape, which on playback would cause a metal reed to vibrate. The vibrating reed would close a circuit and thus operate a relay. The relay sent a pulse of energy (electricity) to the figure's mechanism which would cause a pneumatic valve to operate, which resulted in the action, like the opening of a bird's beak. Each action (e.g., opening of the mouth) had a neutral position, otherwise known as the "natural resting position" (e.g., in the case of the Tiki bird it would be for the mouth to be closed). When there was no pulse of energy forthcoming, the action would be in, or return to, the natural resting position.
This digital/tone-reed system used pneumatic valves exclusively--that is, everything was operated by air pressure. Audio-Animatronics' movements that were operated with this system had two limitations. First, the movement had to be simple--on or off. (e.g., The open and shut beak of a Tiki bird or the blink of an eye, as compared to the many different positions of raising and lowering an arm.) Second, the movements couldn't require much force or power. (e.g., The energy needed to open a Tiki Bird's beak could easily be obtained by using air pressure, but in the case of lifting an arm, the pneumatic system didn't provide enough power to accomplish the lift.)
In addition to the digital programming of the Tiki show, the Fair shows required analog programming. This new "analog system" involved the use of voltage regulation. The tone would be on constantly throughout the show, and the voltage would be varied to create the movement of the figure. This "varied voltage" signal was sent to what was referred to as the "black box." The black boxes had the electronic equipment that would receive the signal and then activate the pneumatic and hydraulic valves that moved the performing figures. The use of hydraulics allowed for a substantial increase in power, which was needed for the more unwieldy and demanding movements. (Hydraulics were used exclusively with the analog system, and pneumatics were used only with the tone-reed/digital system.)
• What is animatronics?
Animatronics is the technology employing electronics to animate motorized puppets(The American Heritage Dictionary). An animatronic figure is often used in movies to create grand special effects. Examples of these figures include the giant dinosaurs of Jurassic Park, the title character from ET, and the personable robots from Star Wars. The advantage animatronics has over digital effects in some movies is more realistic close-up shots. Another use of animatronics in the entertainment industry is in theme parks. Rides such as Its a Small World, Pirates of the Carribean, and Country Bear Jamboree at Disneyland all include animatronics to transport the visitor into a new, lifelike, fantasy world.
Animatronics are a specific type of robot. They defer from common robots such as robots used in search and rescue operations, in space, and in deep water because animatronic figures are not designed to be intelligent. Instead, they have been created mainly to entertain. Unlike many modern robots who respond to external stimuli, animatronics imitate the movements of intelligent characters with pre-programmed motions, words, and songs.
2. EARLY DEVELOPMENT
As the definition implies, animatronics is the combination of the ancient art of puppetry with modern electronic technology. Examples of elementary puppets have been found in early Greek, Hindu, and Egyptian cultures. The first puppets were marionettes. Later, the rod puppet was developed in Bengal. Hand puppets have been popular in Europe since the middle ages to depict folklore.
During the Renaissance, automata were created to amuse royalty. Automata are mechanisms which move under there own power to mimic living creatures. These early automata were created from wood using complicated systems of clockwork gears and cylinders. With the American Industrial Revolution of the nineteenth century, came simple automata novelties for wealthy children. However, the form of puppets used in theatres had not changed significantly since their original invention.
The first uses of modern animatronics were invented by Imagineer Lee Adams for the Enchanted Tiki Room at Walt Disneys Disneyland. Here, birds were created to look as though they were singing. A tape was made of the singing and when it played it shook a metal rod which completed an electronic circuit which moved the birds mouth. These early animatronics were all digital systems (with only and on movement and an off movement). To improve the attraction for the Worlds Fair, analog systems were created which, for example, allowed the narrators head to move from side to side, varying its position throughout the show. Walt Disney trademarked the term audio-animatronics as the name of this new technology and invested much of his time and capitol into further advances.
These advances include the creation of the Lincoln head exhibited in the 1964 Worlds Fair. This head took about a year to build and could imitate blinking, winking, eyebrow movement, and most importantly, talking. The talking was achieved by attaching solenoids, wire coils which pushed forward rods (nicknamed slugs by Imagineers), to the roof of Lincolns mouth. When current was running, the rods pushed open his mouth.
The head was controlled by the Moviola, a vertical movie-editing machine used to review film.
After the pivotal creation of Disneys early animatronics, animatronics began being used more frequently in movies as well as in theme parks. During the creation of Star Wars, Yoda was one of the first animatronics figures made with technology that closely imitated skeletons.
ABSTRACT
Animatronics is a cross between animation and electronics. Basically, an animatronics is a mechanized puppet. It may be preprogrammed or remotely controlled. An abbreviated term originally coined by Walt Disney as "Audio-Animatronics" (used to describe his mechanized characters), can actually be seen in various forms as far back as Leonardo-Da-Vinci's Automata Lion, (theoretically built to present lilies to the King of France during one of his Visits), and has now developed as a career which may require combined talent in Mechanical Engineering, Sculpting / Casting, Control Technologies, Electrical / Electronic, Airbrushing, Radio-Control. Long before digital effects appeared, animatronics were making cinematic history. The scare generated by the Great White coming out of the water in "Jaws" and the tender otherworldliness of "E.T." were its outcomes. The Jurassic Park series combined digital effects with animatronics.
It is possible for us to build our own animatronics by making use of ready-made animatronics kits provided by companies such as Mister Computers where no programming skills are required. Only knowledge of Windows is required.
1. INTRODUCTION
The first use of Audio-Animatronics was for Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room in Disneyland, which opened in June, 1963. The Tiki birds were operated using digital controls; that is, something that is either on or off. Tones were recorded onto tape, which on playback would cause a metal reed to vibrate. The vibrating reed would close a circuit and thus operate a relay. The relay sent a pulse of energy (electricity) to the figure's mechanism which would cause a pneumatic valve to operate, which resulted in the action, like the opening of a bird's beak. Each action (e.g., opening of the mouth) had a neutral position, otherwise known as the "natural resting position" (e.g., in the case of the Tiki bird it would be for the mouth to be closed). When there was no pulse of energy forthcoming, the action would be in, or return to, the natural resting position.
This digital/tone-reed system used pneumatic valves exclusively--that is, everything was operated by air pressure. Audio-Animatronics' movements that were operated with this system had two limitations. First, the movement had to be simple--on or off. (e.g., The open and shut beak of a Tiki bird or the blink of an eye, as compared to the many different positions of raising and lowering an arm.) Second, the movements couldn't require much force or power. (e.g., The energy needed to open a Tiki Bird's beak could easily be obtained by using air pressure, but in the case of lifting an arm, the pneumatic system didn't provide enough power to accomplish the lift.)
In addition to the digital programming of the Tiki show, the Fair shows required analog programming. This new "analog system" involved the use of voltage regulation. The tone would be on constantly throughout the show, and the voltage would be varied to create the movement of the figure. This "varied voltage" signal was sent to what was referred to as the "black box." The black boxes had the electronic equipment that would receive the signal and then activate the pneumatic and hydraulic valves that moved the performing figures. The use of hydraulics allowed for a substantial increase in power, which was needed for the more unwieldy and demanding movements. (Hydraulics were used exclusively with the analog system, and pneumatics were used only with the tone-reed/digital system.)
• What is animatronics?
Animatronics is the technology employing electronics to animate motorized puppets(The American Heritage Dictionary). An animatronic figure is often used in movies to create grand special effects. Examples of these figures include the giant dinosaurs of Jurassic Park, the title character from ET, and the personable robots from Star Wars. The advantage animatronics has over digital effects in some movies is more realistic close-up shots. Another use of animatronics in the entertainment industry is in theme parks. Rides such as Its a Small World, Pirates of the Carribean, and Country Bear Jamboree at Disneyland all include animatronics to transport the visitor into a new, lifelike, fantasy world.
Animatronics are a specific type of robot. They defer from common robots such as robots used in search and rescue operations, in space, and in deep water because animatronic figures are not designed to be intelligent. Instead, they have been created mainly to entertain. Unlike many modern robots who respond to external stimuli, animatronics imitate the movements of intelligent characters with pre-programmed motions, words, and songs.
2. EARLY DEVELOPMENT
As the definition implies, animatronics is the combination of the ancient art of puppetry with modern electronic technology. Examples of elementary puppets have been found in early Greek, Hindu, and Egyptian cultures. The first puppets were marionettes. Later, the rod puppet was developed in Bengal. Hand puppets have been popular in Europe since the middle ages to depict folklore.
During the Renaissance, automata were created to amuse royalty. Automata are mechanisms which move under there own power to mimic living creatures. These early automata were created from wood using complicated systems of clockwork gears and cylinders. With the American Industrial Revolution of the nineteenth century, came simple automata novelties for wealthy children. However, the form of puppets used in theatres had not changed significantly since their original invention.
The first uses of modern animatronics were invented by Imagineer Lee Adams for the Enchanted Tiki Room at Walt Disneys Disneyland. Here, birds were created to look as though they were singing. A tape was made of the singing and when it played it shook a metal rod which completed an electronic circuit which moved the birds mouth. These early animatronics were all digital systems (with only and on movement and an off movement). To improve the attraction for the Worlds Fair, analog systems were created which, for example, allowed the narrators head to move from side to side, varying its position throughout the show. Walt Disney trademarked the term audio-animatronics as the name of this new technology and invested much of his time and capitol into further advances.
These advances include the creation of the Lincoln head exhibited in the 1964 Worlds Fair. This head took about a year to build and could imitate blinking, winking, eyebrow movement, and most importantly, talking. The talking was achieved by attaching solenoids, wire coils which pushed forward rods (nicknamed slugs by Imagineers), to the roof of Lincolns mouth. When current was running, the rods pushed open his mouth.
The head was controlled by the Moviola, a vertical movie-editing machine used to review film.
After the pivotal creation of Disneys early animatronics, animatronics began being used more frequently in movies as well as in theme parks. During the creation of Star Wars, Yoda was one of the first animatronics figures made with technology that closely imitated skeletons.
