Project Kiwi is still very much a work in progress but even as it currently stands we think you’ll agree that it is a feat of modern robotics and Imagineering. We here at MickeyBlog can’t wait to see what the future holds for this awesome technological innovation!
A Free-walking Groot Robot!? It Actually Exists!
If you haven’t heard of Project Kiwi, remember the name. We expect that you’ll hear more and more about it as the months pass. Disney is always looking to revolutionize the guest theme park experience and animatronics have come a long way since “it’s a small world.” Just look at the Na’vi Shaman in Pandora or Hondo in Galaxy’s Edge.
But Disney has just reveled something a couple of weeks ago that is positively next level. They have created a walking robot dressed up to look like a two and half foot tall Groot! Through Groot is the currently subject of Disney Imagineering’s recent “big reveal,” the possibilities don’t end with this Marvel treant. Rather, Groot represents a new platform that might take on many forms in the theme parks of the future.
See Groot in action in this video below:
As you can see from the video above, with Kiwi, Imagineers have created a robot that can walk on it’s own and could eventually even interact with park guests.
To create this absolutely astounding robot, Imagineering collaborated to R&D and Imagineer Principal Scott LaValley who came to Disney from Boston Dynamics. According to a recent piece in Tech Crunch, it was here that LaValley worked on a first version of a biped robot named Atlas.
The brief for the project centered around the idea of created a biped robot that could be battery powered and programmed to handle interactions with park guests. The end product that you’re seeing in the video above took three years to build.
Due to Groot’s small side, we are told that it was up to the team to first create skeleton that could hold every motor and actuator that the robot would need will still keeping it in humanoid shape. Then it was on to the lower sections of Groot with the legs and torso learning to sneak, bounce, strut and more!
Battery life is a bit of a drawback of the current design. According to TechCrunch, the prototype seen in the video has a battery life of about 45 minutes. We were also to that the system uses a system of kinetic counter-balance to allow Groot to move without falling over.
We were also told that Disney had to patent a few items that were used to create Groot including a system of gears that “translates energy across joints” allowing them to share motors. The team also created a system of circuit boards with flex cabling to limit the amount of wiring that would go in Groot’s tiny 2 foot frame. Another invention was a brand new set of actuators that can dynamically apply torque and provide more stability of the robot is walking on uneven ground.
Custom gearing allows for Groot’s natural looking movements. The robot can do everything from a simple shrug to some killer dance moves.
There is also a prototype software created for the robot that offers a timeline of set behaviors. At one minute we might see the robot walking and at another cheerfully while at another his shoulders are slumped and his gait gives us the impression that he is disappointed!
So what’s next for this adorable little project? TechCrunch tells us that next up is a sensory package that would allow the Project Kiwi prototype to understand the world around it and even potentially identify people and their faces. This would be important because it could allow these characters to make eye contact with theme park guests.
Source: TechCrunch