Disney Enterprises, Inc.

Eth Zurich (eidgenossische Technische Hochschule Zurich)

Eth Zurich (eidgenoessische Technische Hochschule Zurich)

Disney Enterprise, Inc.

Philip John Jackson

Bryan S Tye

Wojciech Matusik

Bernd Bickel

Holger Irmler

Maeis Heshmati

Markus H Gross

Derek Edward Bradley

Thabo D Beeler

Bernhard Thomaszewski

Alexander W Hsing

Stephen Robert Marschner

Peter Kaufmann

Robert W Jewell

Angela M Orovets

Tammy Tosounian

Robert Pontrelli

Zsolt Hormay

Ivan Poupyrev

Lanny Starkes Smoot

Gary W Schnuckle

Leonid Sigal

Wojciech Jarosz

Alfredo Medina Ayala

Daniel James Reetz

Marios Papas

James R Robertson

Frank Mezzatesta, Jr

Todd P Camill

Leslie Margaret Evans

Christian Regg

Steve Marschner

Daniel Leithinger

Anthony D Martin

Ronit Slyper

Nolan Andrew Nicholson

Rodney Jay Lane

Fred Tullock

Robertson James R

Rebar-based support assemblies that can be fabricated without the need for on-site welding. The assemblies include a number of differing sized and shaped crimps used in place of welds to provide rebar assembly-to-rebar assembly connections. In some examples, a crimp for mechanically joining rebar for use in a support system for a physical structure includes a body with at least two recessed surfaces each configured for receiving a respective first and second piece of rebar; and a pair of spaced-apart arms at least partially enclosing an interior space of the body including the at least two recessed surfaces, a first tip and a second tip of the respective spaced-apart arms each defining a respective first and second opening to the interior space, in a first configuration.

Structural support system for rockwork with mechanical fastening of adjacent chip assemblies

Rebar-based support assemblies that can be fabricated without the need for on-site welding. The assemblies include a number of differing sized and shaped crimps used in place of welds to provide rebar assembly-to-rebar assembly connections. Each crimp mechanically couples two or three pieces of rebar together, such as a border bar of one rebar assembly to a border bar of an adjacent rebar assembly. Each crimp includes a body with two or more arcuate recessed surfaces each for receiving a piece of rebar. In a first configuration of the crimp, a pair of spaced-apart arms (or extending members) extend from the body and define an opening through which the rebar is passed and set into the recessed surfaces. A deformation force is applied upon the two arms to deform the body into a second configuration with the arms in abutting contact or nearly so at an outer tip or end.

A skin or skin system for a robot or robotics assembly is provided that includes one or more integral elastomeric links (or bars) ('IELs') that are configured for receiving and connection with coupling elements or members (e.g., pivot pins) at the ends of mechanical links/bars. The IELs are also configured to act as a final link of a mechanical linkage made up of these mechanical links to provide a closed chain. For example, the body of each of the IELs, or a portion of the IEL body extending between connection points with the coupling elements of the links/bars of the mechanical linkage, provides a final link in a mechanical linkage forming a closed chain to allow it properly function.

Robotics skin system with integral elastomeric links to complete mechanical linkages

A computer-implemented method is provided for physical face cloning to generate a synthetic skin. Rather than attempt to reproduce the mechanical properties of biological tissue, an output-oriented approach is utilized that models the synthetic skin as an elastic material with isotropic and homogeneous properties (e.g., silicone rubber). The method includes capturing a plurality of expressive poses from a human subject and generating a computational model based on one or more material parameters of a material. In one embodiment, the computational model is a compressible neo-Hookean material model configured to simulate deformation behavior of the synthetic skin. The method further includes optimizing a shape geometry of the synthetic skin based on the computational model and the captured expressive poses. An optimization process is provided that varies the thickness of the synthetic skin based on a minimization of an elastic energy with respect to rest state positions of the synthetic skin.

Physical face cloning

A robot with an animated segment including a generally cylindrical structural frame. The frame includes a plurality of spaced apart plastic ribs that each have a curved or arcuate body that is arranged to be convex relative to a central axis of the structural frame. A first end of each rib is pivotally coupled with a lower ring, and a second end of each rib is pivotally coupled with an upper ring. A flexible outer covering is positioned over the structural frame and is attached to one or more of the ribs. This provides a robotic segment that is animated with an organic feel and natural movement by providing an actuator in the robot segment that is operated by a controller to move one or both of the rings such as linearly along a central axis of the structural frame (e.g., toward and away from the other ring).

Structural frame for covered and animated segments of a robotic figure

A method for fabricating an artificial skin system such as skin for use with a robotics assembly. The method includes forming or accessing a digital three dimensional (3D) model of an object. The digital 3D model defines a topography of an exterior surface of the object. The method includes processing the 3D model to generate a 3D model of a core, including defining an exterior surface of the core with a topography that is an inverse copy of the topography of the exterior surface of the object. The method includes fabricating the core based on the core model, whereby the core has an exterior surface corresponding to the exterior surface of the core model. The core is used in dipping processes or injection molding processes to form a skin in which the exterior surface is formed of material that abutted the inverse topography of the exterior surface of the core.

Fabricating a robotics skin system using a mold core or tool defining an inverse of an exterior surface topography

A method of fabricating a skin system or its elements using a laser cutter. The laser cutter is controlled to perform multiple passes to selectively cut away layers of material on a surface of a sheet of cellular foam materials. Each layer of material to be removed is defined by a cut or texture pattern. The laser cutter is operated to cut deeper with each layer of material removed by setting a different resolution for the laser cutter for each layer. For example, a laser cutter may be selectively controlled to operate within a resolution range, and each layer defined by the same or different cut pattern is cut using a different resolution. The method includes associating lower resolution settings for the first or outer layers to remove a first depth of material from the skin sheet's surface and associating higher and higher resolution settings for additional layers.

Fabricating lightweight skin systems for large scale robotic characters

A biomimetic skin for an animatronic figure and other applications is provided. The biomimetic skin may include an outer layer having a surface texture, and an inner layer attached to the outer layer. The inner layer may include a compressible cellular material. The outer layer may move correspondingly with the inner layer such that as the inner layer is moved the outer layer moves.

Biomimetic skin for an animatronic figure and other applications

The present disclosure includes a method for altering one or more properties of a primary material. The method includes reducing the elasticity of a primary material and creating a delivery aperture through an outer layer of the primary material. Once the delivery aperture is created, or as the delivery aperture is created, introducing through the delivery aperture a secondary material into a sublayer of the primary material and applying a closure treatment to the primary material to close the delivery aperture. The secondary material includes one or more properties that are different from the primary material. By introducing the secondary material into the primary material, the secondary material locally changes the properties of the primary material. Examples of the variable properties include color, strength, flexibility, magnetism, and optical.

Method for modifying local properties of materials

A method for creating a replication material corresponding to the appearance of a translucent or partially translucent target material. The appearance of the target material can be measured or may be prescribed by a user. The method includes receiving by a processor optical data related to a target subsurface scattering parameter of the target material. Once the processor has received the optical or light characteristic data, the method includes determining by the processor a replication pigment concentration to replicate the appearance of the target material caused by the target subsurface scattering parameter. The processor determines this concentration based on a plurality of pigment subsurface scattering parameters corresponding to a plurality of stored pigment concentrations in the computing device. Once the replication pigment concentration has been determined, the method includes creating, physically or virtually, the replication material by combining the pigment concentration with a base material.

Method of fabricating translucent materials with desired appearance

A robot that includes two or more skeletal or rigid links interconnected by a joint. The joint is pneumatically actuated and includes a pneumatic joint actuator that allows the robot's skeletal links to be moved in an expressive manner. The pneumatic actuator includes a pair of opposing air bladders encased within a housing or body of the joint. Each air bladder is positioned on an opposite side of an actuating lever arm, which is rigidly attached to one of the skeletal links and is pivotally mounted on the joint body or housing. Movement of the actuating lever arm causes the attached skeletal link to pivot. To obtain this selective movement, one of the two air bladders is filled with a gas, such as air, while the other is left un-inflated or less inflated, and this forces the lever arm and attached skeletal link to pivot about their mounting point.

Pneumatically actuated and safely compliant skeletal joints for robotic characters

A movable robotic structure including a frame or substrate, an outer skin connected to at least a portion of the frame and a vacuum source in fluid communication with the outer skin. The vacuum source, such as a vacuum pump, is activated to pull the outer skin into engagement with an outer surface of the frame. When pulled by the vacuum source, the skin may conform to the topography or texture of the frame, as well as become taut over at least a portion of the frame.

Selectively modifiable layer for alteration of appearance or texture

A method for fabricating a product, such as an animatronic character, with artificial skin. The method includes providing data defining an exterior surface geometry of the product. A base geometry model of the product is generated based on the exterior surface geometry data, which in turn is used to fabricate a prototype of the product. Then, an exterior skin mold is formed using the product prototype mounted on an alignment block. The method includes fabricating an inner support structure based on the base geometry model having an exterior geometry smaller than the 3D base geometry model by the thickness of the exterior skin. The inner support structure is positioned within the mold with the inner support structure mounted upon the alignment block, which is received in the mold. The product is formed by pouring material for an exterior skin layer into the mold and over the inner support structure.

Modeling skin-covered robotics devices including artistic digital iterative design processes

A method for fabricating an artificial skin such as for use with a robotic assembly. The method includes providing a mold assembly with an exterior mold and an interior core. A cavity is defined between inner surfaces of the exterior mold and exterior surfaces of the interior core, thereby defining a shape and thickness of a skin. A surface of the interior core includes offsets or standoffs extending outward from the interior core surface. The method further includes positioning a sheet of reinforcement material over the surface such that the sheet contacts the offsets. The method includes pouring material for the skin system into the mold to occupy the cavity between the exterior mold and the interior core. The method includes disassembling the mold assembly and removing the skin with the sheet of reinforcement material embedded within the skin at an offset distance from a surface of the skin.

Robotic and other skins with a subsurface reinforcement layer at a selectable depth

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Glendale, CA, United States of America

Philip John Jackson