Gene Poor LifeFormations Presentation

[adamico2]

For a little background, the engineering firm I work for occasionally hosts events for it's employees after work. A few months ago, I had the opportunity to attend a presentation by Gene Poor Ph.D, professor of entrepreneurship at BGSU and founder of LifeFormations. Many of you, I'm sure, have experienced some of his creations. LifeFormations has worked on many animatronic displays throughout the amusement industry, including those for Dollywood's River Battle and Europa Park's Volo Da Vinci.

 

He gave a very entertaining presentation about animatronics and the importance of creativity. At one point he had us stick crayons up our noses to bring out the child in each of us. Once we were all on the same page, he explained the difference between industrial and animatronic robots. In industry, precision is key, while, in the world of entertainment, the goal is to make each robot look as lifelike as possible.

 

Gene indicated that he loved talking to engineers. It gave him the opportunity to talk technical with his audience, detailing the different challenges involved with using pneumatic and hydraulic systems. He definitely has some engineer in him, having built a working replica of a bowling pin setter in his mother's basement, at age 18.

 

Of course, the most entertaining portions of his presentation involved interaction with a couple of his creations, Ben Franklin and Thomas Jefferson. These figures were incredibility life-like and bickered like an old married couple. This portion of the presentation was beautifully scripted, as he interacted with the historical figures. See the pictures below.

 

After the presentation, I got to chat with Gene about IAAPA and the amusement industry, a well as my aspirations in roller coaster design. He was a very personable guy, and I look forward to seeing what his business will create in the future.

Tom and Ben

Dr. Gene Poor with his creations