Disney Enterprises, Inc.

Michael Richard Honeck

Jeremy Andrew Mika

Michael Fusco

Kyle G Freeman

Cory J Rouse

Lanny Starkes Smoot

Quinn Smithwick

Raymond J Scanlon

Joseph George Hager, Iv

Eli Joseph Romaire

Shelley O Short

Peter Anastasios Chevako

David J McCall

Terry O Sandin

Adam B Forster

Clifford W Wong

Jon Hayes Snoddy

Holger Irmler

Jeremie A Papon

James R Robertson

Daniel C Pike

Jerry W Rees

Lance Duane Updyke

Angela Jay

An interactive autonomous robot is configured for deployment within a social environment. The disclosed robot includes a show subsystem configured to select between different in-character behaviors depending on robot status, thereby allowing the robot to appear in-character despite technical failures. The disclosed robot further includes a safety subsystem configured to intervene with in-character behavior when necessary to enforce safety protocols. The disclosed robot is also configured with a social subsystem that interprets social behaviors of humans and then initiates specific behavior sequences in response.

Interactive autonomous robot configured with in-character safety response protocols

Interactive autonomous robot configured for deployment within a social environment

Interactive autonomous robot configured for programmatic interpretation of social cues

A system for improving navigation of robots in a space with a plurality of pedestrians or other movable objects or obstacles. The system includes a traffic analysis assembly that has a traffic sensor(s) sensing movement of the obstacles in the space. The traffic analysis assembly further includes a processor running a flow module that processes (such as the Gunnar-Farneback optical flow algorithm) output from the traffic sensor to generate traffic analysis results, which include density values for the obstacles in the space and motion information for the obstacles in the space (e.g., speed and direction). The system includes a robot with a controller running a navigation module selecting a navigation route between a current location of the robot and a target location in the space using the traffic analysis result. The workspace is configured such that the obstacles such as pedestrians have unregulated flow patterns in the space.

System for communicating and using traffic analysis in a space with moving obstacles

A self-guiding automaton includes sensors, a hardware processor, and a memory storing a self-guidance software code. The hardware processor executes the self-guidance software code to detect a location and/or travel path of one or more human being(s) in a pedestrian environment using the sensors, and identify a self-guided path forward in the pedestrian environment based on the location and/or travel path of each human being(s). The self-guidance software code also determines a social cue for communicating the self-guided path forward to the human being(s), detects any change in the location and/or travel path of each human being(s) using the sensors, determines a pedestrian safety score of the self-guided path forward based on the location and/or travel path and any change in the location and/or travel path of each human being(s), and moves the automaton along the self-guided path forward if the pedestrian safety score satisfies a safety threshold.

Communicative self-guiding automation

Robot navigation in context of obstacle traffic including movement of groups

A special effects device for providing an energy sword effect. The device includes two long plastic semi-cylinders, and these two blade body members are rolled perpendicular to their length, which creates compact cylinders of material of small volume that can be provided on a pair of spools in a hilt. To extend the blade, a motor provided in the hilt unrolls the blade body members from the spools. Each blade body member passes through a blade forming guideway that nests the semi-cylindrical blade body members together as they leave the hilt. To retract the blade, the process is reversed. The lighting of the blade is achieved with a flexible strip of light sources. The light source strip is attached to a blade end cap and positioned in the center of the two blade body members such that it is pulled up along with the blade body members during their extension.

Sword device with retractable, internally illuminated blade

A method for facilitating and enhancing computer-based authoring of gesture definitions that are useful in controlling a walk-around character and other systems using gesture controls. The method includes, during performance of a gesture by a performer, collecting sets of raw sensor data each corresponding to differing parameters of the performance of the gesture. The method includes displaying a graphical user interface with a graphical plot of each of the sets of raw sensor data. The method includes receiving user input identifying which of the parameters to include in a gesture definition. The method includes, for the graphical plots associated with the chosen parameters receiving user input defining a starting position, an ending position, a maximum value, and a minimum value. The gesture may involve movement of a performer's arms, legs, hands, head, eyes, and so on in a particular manner.

Control system using aesthetically guided gesture recognition

Growing community of inventors

Glendale, CA, United States of America

Michael Richard Honeck