Disney Creates Roving Animatronics!

[GMAN962]

Quote from engadget:

 

The happiest place on Earth (Disneyland, not Las Vegas during CES) just got a little happier this week, thanks to a new exhibit called the Muppet Mobile Laboratory that roams the park and delights visitors with inane banter and sprays of water. Probably having nothing to do with the fact that the human costumed characters like to videotape themselves in suggestive poses while still in uniform, Disney decided to eschew flesh and bone for metal and silicon when it tasked the Imagineering studio with whipping up California Adventure's newest residents, Dr. Bunsen Honeydew and his always chipper, possibly speed-addicted friend Beaker. The two wacky companions approach groups of visitors in their remotely-controlled, cartoonish rocket ship, and thanks to operators monitoring embedded cameras, microphones, and speakers, are able to to carry on eerily-realistic conversations that incorporate actual traits of the audience members. The L.A. Times reminds us that the MML is only the latest in a long line of animatronic entertainers, from the Enchanted Tiki Room and Mr. Lincoln in the 60's to Lucky the Dinosaur and Crush the Turtle in the new millennium -- but Honeydew and Tweaker Beaker are the first that can be modified to entertain in almost any environment. Disney expects the new tech -- which enables remote operation from as far away as Glendale -- to eventually expand its stable of characters to include some of the Muppets who are too small to be played by actors (as opposed to mice, dogs, and ducks, which are just the right size), so next time the kids finally wear you down and win another trip to the Magic Kingdom, at least you'll be able to pass the time by chasing around little Chip 'n Dales or wirelessly hacking Kermit to tell the kiddies what he really thinks of that flaky pig.

 

So I think basically what they're saying, is that they are working on replacing all of those people in costumes, with animetronic robots of the characters, which can be controlled from a "base" of sorts. I'm sure this won't happen completely for quite some time, but it'll be interesting to see how Disney handles this task. Knowing them, they'll probably do a pretty good job.

 

Original Article.

 

Here is a youtube video, demonstrating the animetronics at DCA.

[Homer]

Question, are they operated by Skynet?

[Calvin]

*hums Westworld theme*

[mmousefan]

Just awesome!!!!! LMAO at the "of to work we go" duet!!!

[sixflagsmagicmountain]

Yeah, this is pretty cool, I saw this on engadget earlier today.

 

Do they hit the guests?

[Movieguy]

It is pretty cool...but my mind keeps going back to that one episode of the Simpsons, where they go to Itchy and Scratchy land, being entertained by robots, before they turn and attack everybody for no reason.

[GMAN962]

Yeah, this is pretty cool, I saw this on engadget earlier today.

 

Do they hit the guests?

 

Probably! Well, probably a little less, but if they do hit guests, it'll probably hurt them more than a person would. Unless they're super padded, if you know what I mean!

 

500TH POST WOOT WOOT!

 

-Mike

[SonOfBeastSucks]

I am always against machines taking jobs away from any humans...but with all the realted lawsuits these days with Disney, maybe that isn't such a bad thing in this case!

 

Nah, I'd still say this is a bad idea...

[sixflagsmagicmountain]

I don't think they'll replace all the costumed characters with these, it just seems like more of a novelty than anything else. Just another reason for people to visit Disney.

[Disney Dood]

This is Disney's WAY better version of Universal Studio's talking fountain.

[buttonman700]

I saw this posted on Screamscape earlier today.

 

If you look close you'll one of our favorite Imagineers Ric Turner video taping the moblie lab! Must have had something to do with the attraction.

 

I was impressed with Lucky, but this thing takes it to the next level.

[jackskellington101]

I'm just waiting for someone with a laptop sitting, waiting to hack the wireless signal. That would be very cool, in a completely dorky and illegal way.