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Animatronics
 
 
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Animatronics is the use of electronics
Electronics

Electronics refers to the flow of charge through nonmetal electrical conductor , whereas electrical refers to the flow of charge through metal electrical conductor....
 and robotics
Robotics

Robotics is the science and technology of robots, and their design, manufacture, and application. Robotics has connections to electronics, mechanics, and software....
 in mechanised puppet
Puppet

A puppet is an inanimate object or representational figure animated or manipulated by a puppeteer. It is usually a depiction of a human character, and is used in puppetry, a play or a presentation that is a very ancient form of theatre....
s to make them appear to be alive. They were first perfected by Walt Disney Imagineering and used at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California for the The Enchanted Tiki Room attraction. Animatronics are mainly used in moviemaking, but also in theme parks and other forms of entertainment. Its main advantages to CGI
Computer-generated imagery

Computer-generated imagery is the application of the field of computer graphics or, more specifically, 3D computer graphics to special effects in films, television programs, Television commercials, simulators and simulation generally, and printed media....
 and stop motion
Stop motion

Stop motion is an animation technique to make a physically manipulated object appear to move on its own. The object is moved in small amounts between individually photographed frames, creating the illusion of movement when the series of frames are played as a continuous sequence....
 is that it is not a simulation of reality, but are physical objects moving in real time
Real-time computing

In computer science, real-time computing is the study of Computer hardware and computer software systems that are subject to a "real-time constraint"?i.e., operational deadlines from event to system response....
 in front of the camera.






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Animatronics is the use of electronics
Electronics

Electronics refers to the flow of charge through nonmetal electrical conductor , whereas electrical refers to the flow of charge through metal electrical conductor....
 and robotics
Robotics

Robotics is the science and technology of robots, and their design, manufacture, and application. Robotics has connections to electronics, mechanics, and software....
 in mechanised puppet
Puppet

A puppet is an inanimate object or representational figure animated or manipulated by a puppeteer. It is usually a depiction of a human character, and is used in puppetry, a play or a presentation that is a very ancient form of theatre....
s to make them appear to be alive. They were first perfected by Walt Disney Imagineering and used at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California for the The Enchanted Tiki Room attraction. Animatronics are mainly used in moviemaking, but also in theme parks and other forms of entertainment. Its main advantages to CGI
Computer-generated imagery

Computer-generated imagery is the application of the field of computer graphics or, more specifically, 3D computer graphics to special effects in films, television programs, Television commercials, simulators and simulation generally, and printed media....
 and stop motion
Stop motion

Stop motion is an animation technique to make a physically manipulated object appear to move on its own. The object is moved in small amounts between individually photographed frames, creating the illusion of movement when the series of frames are played as a continuous sequence....
 is that it is not a simulation of reality, but are physical objects moving in real time
Real-time computing

In computer science, real-time computing is the study of Computer hardware and computer software systems that are subject to a "real-time constraint"?i.e., operational deadlines from event to system response....
 in front of the camera. The technology behind animatronics has become more advanced and sophisticated over the years, making the puppets even more realistic and lifelike.

Sally Corporation in Jacksonville, Florida is one of the leaders in Animatronics for the Theme park industry. They have been building amazingly realistic humans and animals for over 32 years. Lifeformations in Bowling Green, Ohio is another company who specializes in Animatronics.

Animatronics for film and television productions are used to perform action on camera in situations where the action involves creatures that do not exist, the action is too risky or costly to use real actors or animals, or the action could never be obtained with a living person or animal. The application of animatronics today includes computer controlled as well as radio and manually controlled devices. The actuation of specific movements can be obtained with electric motors, pneumatic cylinders, hydraulic cylinders and cable driven mechanisms. The type of mechanism employed is dictated by the character parameters, specific movement requirements and the project constraints. The technology has advanced to the point that animatronic puppets can be made indiscernable from their living counterparts. The animatronic horse built by Mark Rappaport
Mark Rappaport (creature effects artist)

Mark Rappaport is an American special effects/makeup artist.His main body of work is with special effects in a wide variety of films from science fiction to horror, to comedy and theater....
, Creature Effects, Inc. for the film The Last Samurai
The Last Samurai

The Last Samurai is a 2003 drama film/war film directed and co-produced by Edward Zwick, who also co-wrote the screenplay based on a story by John Logan ....
 is a good example of this form of animatronic puppet.

See also

  • Stop motion
    Stop motion

    Stop motion is an animation technique to make a physically manipulated object appear to move on its own. The object is moved in small amounts between individually photographed frames, creating the illusion of movement when the series of frames are played as a continuous sequence....
  • Performance capture
    Motion capture

    Motion capture, motion tracking, or mocap are terms used to describe the process of recording motion and translating that movement onto a digital model....

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