The mass-media entertainment company Disney has filed a patent for soft-body robots designed to interact with theme park guests. And will use 3D printing to create them.
The notion of human-like robots meeting and greeting at theme park gates could be one step closer to terrifying reality. Disney has just filed a patent with the US Patent and Trademark Office for soft-bodied robots.
Although the patent doesn’t name any specific characters, it describes “designing a robot that will move and physically interact like an animated character.” So does this open the door to a Disney-themed Westworld like situation? Not really, no.
Alluding to the growing presence of robotics, the patent states: “Robots can be found providing interactive guidance or entertainment in stores and amusement parks and in more dynamic settings like homes, schools, hospitals, and the workplace where they teach, provide therapy, and lend an extra set of hands.”
In a similar vein, the company references its core audience for these machines. Designed to entertain and interact with children, the creators acknowledge softness and durability are key considerations.
Disney And 3D Printed Humanoid Robots
For us, the most interesting thing is the entertainment giant’s reference of 3D printing over 30 times in their patent application. It would seem that Disney will use the technology to create fluid-filled (meaning gas or liquid) modules – the softness – and other sidewalls and bearings.
The application states that Disney has already developed a toy-sized prototype. This test robot features limbs and body parts connected to sensors which can sense contact. A controller then modifies the machine’s movements to accommodate whatever is causing that contact. Most likely a child, the adjusted behavior can then protect whomever is causing it from the robot’s full-force movement.
The company has made moves in the past that knit together with this new patent filing. In fact, back in 2015 the company’s research division unveiled designs to print and build your own spider robot. And as recently as a year ago Disney showed off a proprietary printing technology that embeds interactive optical elements into a 3D print. Indeed, telling research that could all contribute in their own way to a mechanical Micky waving guests through the gates.
However, don’t start buying park tickets just yet. The full tech is unlikely to happen anytime soon. And Disney has yet to comment on the patent.
