Background Information

For this term's Engineering Design Lab, our theme is Animatronics. This page is intended to provide background information on what animatronics is all about.

Animatronics is a multidisciplinary technology used to create robotic systems than seem animate, such as robotic animals or plants. It is used largely in the entertainment industry for making movies and theme park attractions. They are needed to portray someone or something that is impossible or difficult to act. Of course, nowadays CGI is used more and more to generate these acts. However, CGI has one major flaw — it cannot create the illusion needed in real life applications. Preparing for a career in animatronics includes training in mechanical, electronic and computer engineering, as well as in the entertainment field. Undergraduate and graduate programs in electrical, entertainment and robotics engineering may offer students the right training for a career in animatronics.

Basically, an animatronic device is a mechanized puppet. It may be preprogrammed or remotely controlled. The device may only perform a limited range of movements or it may be incredibly versatile. In the Engineering Design Lab, we will be making one of these devices for our final project. Here is an example of what it should look like: