# Disney's audio Animatronics



## Dr Morbius (Sep 21, 2004)

In case anyone hasn't seen this, I'm posting it here. I found it very cool. I find it interesting most of the human figures are hydraulic yet they can get such great movement from them


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## Spookineer (Aug 20, 2006)

That's an excellent video, thanks for sharing. Hydraulics are infinately more controlable than pneumatics and can produce hundreds of times more force than a pneumatic cylinder of the same proportions. Unfortunately hydraulics are out of the budget and skill scope of most home haunters. But if you want to build that really really huge monster prop, hydraulics are the most efficient way to go!


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## Otaku (Dec 3, 2004)

Remarkable! Thanks for posting this, Doc; I'll be in Disneyland next month - can't wait to see what they've done with the HM.


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## Sickie Ickie (Jun 20, 2006)

Ho much do hydrolics cost as opposed to pneumatics


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## Spookineer (Aug 20, 2006)

Sickie Ickie said:


> Ho much do hydrolics cost as opposed to pneumatics


Rather than hijack this thread, I'll start a new one in the tech heading. Mainly because I consider Disney Imagineers as Deity.


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## HalloweenZombie (Jul 22, 2007)

Great find. I loved it. Now I get to go back to my zombie with the fan motor that moves his head left and right. Thanks.


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## Richie (Jan 4, 2007)

Thanks for posting Doc...I can never see that video enough. Truly remarkable. I did have the same question as Sickie, how much is hydrolics?


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## Dr Morbius (Sep 21, 2004)

HalloweenZombie said:


> Great find. I loved it. Now I get to go back to my zombie with the fan motor that moves his head left and right. Thanks.


I feel the same way, but as the saying goes, misery loves company!


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## Dr Morbius (Sep 21, 2004)

One in the raw at innoventions. simply amazing. I could watch these all day. I wouldn't be surprised if one day this kind of animation was within grasp of the home haunter.


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## Wyatt Furr (Jun 5, 2006)

ok, that was kinda creepy
In a good way ,of course
Thanks for the links, Doc


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## Dr Morbius (Sep 21, 2004)

The audio routine sucks bigtime, as cheeseball as it gets. But the movements of this thing is just incredible. I just can't get over how a machine can look so human. It's freaky.


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## Death Master (Jul 1, 2007)

Dr Morbius said:


> One in the raw at internventions. simply amazing. I could watch these all day. I wouldn't be surprised if one day this kind of animation was within grasp of the home haunter.


One day maybe, one of the things that help these animatronics look so real as far as the movement, is a thing called compliance, compliance is what happens when you draw your arm back real fast and instead of bouncing at the end of the arc, (like some of our props do that use air cylinders), it kind of decelerates fast with out to much bounce. This can be achieved with hydraulics or pneumatics by using a closed loop control system, with a suite of sensors, actuators, proportional control valves, pressure sensors, and load cells. I have been doing a lot of research on animatronics for about 8 years now, trying to copy what Disney has been doing. Compliance systems are very expensive, but there is a way for us home haunters to get a little compliance in our home built animatronics by using air muscles, they have a built in compliance (they stretch to absorb the shock at the end of travel) they are very strong (most can lift 400 times their own weight) and are EZ to make, along with some type of control loop, your animatronics can have some real smooth movements. I have been working on a prop for the past 3 years now, that I think is close to the movements that you can see at Disney, now I'm not saying it's as good, but I'm happy with it.


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## Sickie Ickie (Jun 20, 2006)

Death master, I'd be very interested in seeing a vid of your prop. 

I've only recently started getting into motors in props, so I'm a long ways off yet. heh


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## Death Master (Jul 1, 2007)

Sickie Ickie said:


> Death master, I'd be very interested in seeing a vid of your prop.
> 
> I've only recently started getting into motors in props, so I'm a long ways off yet. heh


When I have it completely done I will, I want it to be perfect before I show you guys, but right now I have a ton of other projects for this year to get done, so I'll work on it when I have the time, it has been a great R&D platform. For those who are interested in compliance systems here is a simple schematic:


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## pyro (Oct 7, 2006)

yep so much for the reindeer motors--thanks
that was cool


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