Showing posts with label robot. Show all posts
Showing posts with label robot. Show all posts

Thursday, December 4, 2025

Disney's Olaf robot is pretty great

@kellyfitzsimons__

The cutest thing I’ve ever seen 😭😭😭🩵

♬ original sound - tuckerbudzyn



@sleasca Just 15 seconds of #olaf wondering around @Disneyland Paris ✨ #frozen #worldoffrozen #disney #disneyland ♬ original sound - Stacey Leasca



@drewthedisneydude Walt Disney Imagineering just revealed a next-generation robotic character representing Olaf, the beloved snowman from Walt Disney Animation Studios’ Frozen. This debut marks a new chapter in Disney character innovation, one where technology, storytelling, and collaboration come together to bring screen to reality. From the way he moves to the way he looks, every gesture and detail is crafted to reflect the Olaf audiences have seen in the film — alive, curious, and unmistakably himself. As for his snow-like shimmer that catches the light just like fresh snow, this was enhanced by iridescent fibers. These details make Olaf one of the most expressive and true-to-life characters built, and he’s soon making his debut at Disney Parks. Walt Disney Imagineering collaborated closely with the film’s original animators at Walt Disney Animation Studios to ensure every gesture felt true to the character. To make Olaf as authentic as possible, Imagineers used a branch of artificial intelligence called reinforcement learning, pushing the limits of hardware to achieve the creative intent of the artists. Olaf’s “snow” also moves differently than the hard shells of other robotic characters, and he can fully articulate his mouth, eyes, and removable carrot nose and arms. Most importantly, Olaf can speak and engage in conversations, creating a truly one-of-a-kind experience. Olaf will soon greet Guests in World of Frozen, coming soon to Disney Adventure World at Disneyland Paris, and World of Frozen at Hong Kong Disneyland Resort. #DisneyParks #DisneyAnimation #Frozen #Frozen2 #Olaf ♬ original sound - Drew Smith



From the official announcement:
While the BDX droids — the Star Wars free roaming robotic characters that mimic movements in a simulation — have been interacting with guests for a while now, Olaf presents a far greater challenge: an animated character with non-physical movements. To make Olaf as authentic as possible, the team used a branch of artificial intelligence called reinforcement learning, pushing the limits of hardware to achieve the creative intent of the artists.

It takes humans years to master walking and even longer to perform graceful motions. Deep reinforcement learning helps him acquire these skills in a fraction of the time.  

Olaf’s “snow” also moves differently than the hard shells of other robotic characters, and he can fully articulate his mouth, eyes, and removable carrot nose and arms. Most importantly, Olaf can speak and engage in conversations, creating a truly one-of-a-kind experience. 
...
Olaf will soon venture out into the unknown, eager to see guests at:

Arendelle Bay Show in World of Frozen, the new immersive world coming soon to Disney Adventure World at Disneyland Paris.
Limited-time special appearances at World of Frozen at Hong Kong Disneyland Resort.

Wednesday, December 4, 2024

This is a great list: "52 things I learned in 2024"

 Via Twist Street, I wanted to click on nearly every link on this list but here are my four favorites:

1. In the 1980's in San Francisco, 

there was a racket at one point where gangs would slash seats with knives so they’d have to be re-upholstered, generating overtime pay for BART workers and extra orders for materials suppliers. Specific patterns would be cut in so they’d know who to pay for the 'favor,’"

2. There's a cafe in Tokyo staffed by robots remotely operated by disabled people:

"Avatar Robot Cafe DAWN ver.β” is a permanent experimental cafe operated by OryLab Inc, where people who have difficulty going out for various reasons remotely operate our avatar robots OriHime and OriHime-D from their homes and hospitals, to provide service

3. Russia has experimented with drones trailing several kilometers of fiber optic cable to defeat radio jamming.

4. For the first time since 2015, Casio produced a new flagship calculator: 

the S100 exudes an air of luxury unlike any calculator before it. The hairline-finished machined aluminum body's exquisite appearance invites being held. A diamond cut is applied to the outer edge, creating an elegant highlight. Everything from the visibility of the gorgeous LCD screen to the satisfying haptic feedback of each button press has been refined to the smallest detail.



Saturday, October 12, 2024

From 2020, an article about remotely operated humanoid robots stacking shelves in Japanese convenience stores

CNN September 2020:

This week, Lawson deployed its first robot in a convenience store, in Tokyo. FamilyMart trialled the same robots last month, and says it plans to have them working in 20 of its stores by 2022.

...

The Model-T robot — named after the Ford automobile that pioneered assembly line production in the early 20th Century — is controlled by shop staff remotely. A human “pilot” wears a virtual reality (VR) headset and special gloves that let them “feel” in their own hands the products the robot is holding. Microphones and headphones allow them to communicate with people in the store.

...

In theory, the robot could be controlled from anywhere in the world, says [a Telexistence representative].

...

This makes recruitment easier and offers potential for hiring overseas in places with lower labor costs, says [the representative] 

At Tesla, a job listing for Unreal Software Engineer, Virtual Reality Teleoperation, Tesla Bot 

Wednesday, July 31, 2024

This robot is expected to install solar panels much faster and more cheaply than people could




NYT:

Demand for solar power is expected to grow astronomically over the next decade thanks to the plummeting costs of panels, hundreds of billions of dollars in federal subsidies and growing interest from tech companies in securing carbon-free electricity for their data centers. By some estimates, the country will need 475,000 solar workers by 2033, nearly double today’s number. Yet 44 percent of solar companies already say it is “very difficult” to find qualified workers, according to one recent survey.

It can be especially hard to recruit construction workers for large solar arrays, which are often located in remote desert areas. The job involves lifting and installing hundreds of panels per day, each one weighing 60 pounds or more, in places where temperatures can reach in excess of 110 degrees Fahrenheit, or about 43 Celsius.

...

After months of testing, AES will put Maximo to work in the California desert later this year to help install panels at the largest solar-plus-battery project under construction, meant to help power Amazon data centers. If all goes well, the company aims to build hundreds of similar A.I.-powered robots.

Wednesday, November 8, 2023

The LAPD sent a four-legged robot onto a bus to investigate reports of an armed man



(Per reports: Others on the bus noticed the man had a gun and was sleeping, reported him and left the bus, and the police sent the robot onto the bus to investigate.)

Tuesday, October 24, 2023

There was a bomb threat on Oregon States campus today involving Starship delivery bots


AP says the person placing the threat (apparently as a prank) was arrested.

Thursday, June 9, 2022

Kawasaki's goat-shaped delivery bot; 3D-printed firearms; Imagining a VR horror game by Kojima; Catastrophic factory failure looks like a portal to hell opening




Wednesday, February 2, 2022

Weeping Olympic athlete sent to isolation; Malfunctioning robot food severs; Celebrated war hero

The SCMP's update:
IOC intervenes as tearful Belgian skeleton racer ... breaks down in ‘totally unacceptable’ Beijing 2022 isolation

More from the games: 


Tuesday, November 23, 2021

Real world droids that would look at home in a Star Wars movie

@dorotheaxl5mf05

Good

♬ original sound - dorotheaxl5mf05








@future_explored

You've got to love life-saving robots ❤ #robot #robotics #future #futuretech #technology #fypã‚· #learnontiktok

♬ original sound - Future Explored by Freethink




@itsrichie27

Reply to @mrtwinspark

♬ original sound - itsrichie27