Disney Creates Robots That Can Play Throw And Catch With Park Visitors For A More Interactive Experience
"He just said he was going to kill me."
Disney has been developing a humanoid robot that can play throw and catch with human participants in an effort to make the animatronics in their parks more interactive. Personally, I already think they're interactive enough (I yell at them and they take it). Per the mouse himself:
Entertainment robots in theme park environments typically do not allow for physical interaction and contact with guests. However, catching and throwing back objects is one form of physical engagement that still maintains a safe distance between the robot and participants. Using a theme park type animatronic humanoid robot, we developed a test bed for a throwing and catching game scenario. We use an external camera system (ASUS Xtion PRO LIVE) to locate balls and a Kalman filter to predict ball destination and timing. The robot's hand and joint-space are calibrated to the vision coordinate system using a least-squares technique, such that the hand can be positioned to the predicted location. Successful catches are thrown back two and a half meters forward to the participant, and missed catches are detected to trigger suitable animations that indicate failure.
Did anybody read that? I'll give you $1 if you did. But only if you read it before you read this -- no retroactive reading. This post will self destruct in five seconds. Five...four...three...two...I was just kidding, we don't have that technology yet. Or to wipe out boogers. "It's called Kleenex." I meant when they're still IN the nose. I tried fire but that was a no-go.
Hit the jump for the video.
Thanks to Rampage the Mighty, who at first I thought was a call to action to destroy the mighty, but then realized is probably just some badass named Rampage. Either way, it's still a cooler name than Pacify the Limppeen.
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