Tag Archives: animatronic

Animatronic Alien Xenomorph Rocks out on Guitar

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Xenomorphs: they’re just misunderstood aliens that want to rock out, not kill. Case in point: this small animatronic xenomorph built by Danny Huynh that jams out on guitar. Free Bird! Admittedly, I would still have a hard time feeling comfortable being a groupie.

The animatronic’s basic tempo is controlled via knobbed servos, with its finer movements operated via radio controls so Danny can make the xenomorph’s motion correspond to the song it’s performing. Most impressive. Still, when reached for comment whether she’d ever attend a live concert, Ellen Ripley replied, “Only in an exoskeletal P-5000 Powered Work Loader.” Smart thinking.

Below is a video of an earlier iteration of the rocking alien performing Metallica’s ‘The Unforgiven,’ an appropriate song considering I doubt all those Colonial Marines have forgiven and forgotten what the aliens did to them. Now Danny just needs to build a Predator that can play drums and this duo can take their music on tour!

[via The Awesomer]

miTail Animatronic USB-C Clip-on Tail: Furrly Modern

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The Tail Company is running a successful Kickstarter campaign for its latest animatronic accessory, the miTail. This is their third animatronic tail, and as such comes with several major improvements, such as USB-C charging, a clip that makes the tail equally easy to attach and detach, and a no-phone mode, which lets the tail resort to random movements if you don’t have its companion app.

Like The Tail Company’s previous tail products, the miTail has a removable cover, so you can choose from various covers or even make your own. The tail’s battery lets it wag, curl, and wave for up to 5h per charge, but thanks to its USB-C charging port, you can charge it on the go with a power bank.

I’ve seen far crazier things than people with tails and people not reacting to people with tails just this past 2 years, so I say whatever floats your boat. Wear nine tails if you want. It’s your butt. Pledge at least £145 (about $200 USD) on Kickstarter to receive a miTail with a cover of your choice.

Disney robot with human-like gaze is equal parts uncanny and horrifying

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Robots with human-like expressions are becoming ever more impressive, but Disney Research might just induce some nightmares with its latest project. Gizmodo reports that Disney has developed a system that gives humanoid robots more realistic gazes an...

Mattel’s Baby Yoda toy sports a remote control that lets it wiggle its ears and waddle around the house!

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With the Season 2 of The Mandalorian hot on its heels, Mattel and Disney have launched perhaps the greatest toy ever made… a Remote-Controlled Animatronic Baby Yoda that wiggles its ears, struts around like a baby penguin, and reaches out for objects with its adorable baby hands, as if it’s summoning the force!

The Star Wars: The Mandalorian the Child “Real Moves Plush” (I wonder how Yoda would say that name) stands at less than a foot tall, and looks almost like the real deal. The Baby Yoda Plush comes with perfectly tinted translucent skin that’s almost see-through around the ears, and large glossy eyes that can look directly at your soul. The plush comes clad in its khaki robes, along with an optional Mythosaur pendant that you can make it wear (just like the one Din Djarin gifted him at the end of the first season). While the Child possesses its own mystic mind-control powers, it is, in fact, operated by a tracking fob-shaped controller that resembles the one the bounty hunters in the series use to locate their targets. The controller allows you to make Baby Yoda look left and right, up and down, and occasionally wiggle its ears with a level of realism that feels uncanny for a $60 toy. The remote controller also allows the little green alien to waddle around on its two feet, and occasionally reach for objects with its adorably tiny 3-fingered hands!

Season 1 of The Mandalorian saw Disney struggling to develop Baby Yoda merchandise to keep up with the heavy demand once the audience fell in love with the character. It seems like they’re not making that mistake again with the second season, partnering with Mattel to release this plush just a few days short of the Season 2 premiere on Friday. You can grab your own remote-controlled animatronic Yoda at the shopDisney webstore, or even at any of Disney’s parks. Beware though, with its adorably good looks and that $60 price tag, it may just magically disappear off the shelves.

Designer: Mattel

The Baby Yoda Animatronic Toy Is Adorable… and Ready for Pre-order

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Since The Mandalorian was released close to Christmas last year, not many official toys of Baby Yoda (aka “The Child”) made it to market in time for the holidays. That’s all changing in 2020, and this might be the best one yet.

Hasbro turned up at Toy Fair 2020 in New York, showing off an awesome animatronic version of The Child that will be available this December.

The little green guy can move his head, wiggle his ears, open and close his endearing little eyes, and makes adorable cooing and giggling sounds. He’s got a fuzzy little robe, along with a removable pendant too. The guys over at Gizmodo captured some great footage of the robotic Baby Yoda, and it looks pretty amazing in action:

Best of all, the animatronic is priced at just $59.99, so Hasbro clearly aims to sell millions for the holidays. If you want any hope of one of these sitting under the tree this Christmas, you’ll definitely want to pre-order yours now.

Animatronic Queen Elizabeth I is one creepy but realistic portrait

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Queen Elizabeth I is widely thought to have carefully controlled her image. She would sit for portraits only until her face was drawn, which she would personally approve. In her later years, it was important for the heirless queen to appear youthful....

Westworld-like ‘Mesmer’ robot comes alive in a UK factory

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We all love Westworld, but its main premise -- that we'll be able to build robots identical to human in the near future -- still seems impossibly far-fetched. That said, a company called Engineered Arts is definitely exploring the edges of the uncann...

Under the Skin of Spy in the Wild’s Animatronic Creatures

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The BBC Earth and PBS animatronic wild animal series Spy in the Wild places realistic animatronic creatures in the midst of real ones so they can capture never-before-seen video of animals in their native habitats. The producers of the series have released a cool new video that shows off the amazing technology under the “skin” of these realistic animals.


Beneath the faux skin and fur of these lifelike animals you will find some incredible mechanical engineering. The skeleton of articulated metal limbs is controlled by sophisticated electronics and servos, then wrapped in a realistic costume that is good enough to fool the real animals. Nature documentaries sure have come a long way.

Each of these faux creatures mimics the moves of its real world doppelganger, and each one takes months to design and build. You can see why. For more on these incredible creations, be sure to listen to NATURE’s fascinating interview with animatronic designer John Nolan:

[via Laughing Squid]

Disney’s Animatronic Avatar Robot Is Impressive and Scary

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Disney has been working for quite some time on an Avatar themed attraction, and they recently gave the world its first look at one of the animatronic Na’vi characters from the upcoming Pandora attraction at Disney’s Animal Kingdom in Florida. You can see it for yourself, and I think you will agree that it is as incredible as it is creepy.

avatar_animatronic_disney_1

It is amazing how lifelike it really is. I’m not sure what it is that makes it so terrifying, but it is “off” just enough to creep me the hell out. I think it might be something about the lip-sync of the mouth. Also there’s something not quite right about the eyes. This attraction is bound to send some kids running away screaming.

I can’t wait to see what other horrors await us on Pandora.

[via io9]