Editing Animatronics (section)

== Design ==
There are quite a few ways to build an animatronic, however most follow this basic structure:

An animatronics character is typically designed to be as realistic as possible and thus, is built similarly to how it would be in real life. The framework of the figure is like the "skeleton". Joints, motors, and [[actuator]]s act as the "muscles". Connecting all the electrical components together are wires, such as the "nervous system" of a real animal or person.<ref name="animatedholidaydisplays3">{{cite book |author=Wise, Edwin |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=txgzjp1mYWUC |title=Animatronics: A Guide to Animated Holiday Displays |publisher=Cengage Learning |year=2000 |isbn=978-0790612195 |page=9 |access-date=2016-02-22 |archive-date=2024-08-09 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240809010857/https://books.google.com/books?id=txgzjp1mYWUC |url-status=live }}</ref> Steel, aluminum, plastic, and wood are all commonly used in building animatronics but each has its best purpose. The relative strength, as well as the weight of the material itself, should be considered when determining the most appropriate material to use. The cost of the material may also be a concern.<ref name="animatedholidaydisplays3" /> Several materials are commonly used in the fabrication of an animatronics figure's exterior. Dependent on the particular circumstances, the best material will be used to produce the most lifelike form. For example, "eyes" and "teeth" are commonly made completely out of acrylic.<ref name="buffingtonfx-arvidseyes2">{{cite web |last1=Buffington |first1=Jack |title=Arvid's Eyes |url=http://www.buffingtonfx.com/j1432/animatronics/eye.html |access-date=9 August 2014 |publisher=Buffington Effects |archive-date=29 January 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140129220702/http://www.buffingtonfx.com/j1432/animatronics/eye.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

One method of constructing animatronics can be found in the Chuck E. Cheese's Studio C animatronic by Garner Holt Productions, made of latex rubber, metal, and plastic, supported by an internal skeleton.<ref>{{Cite web |date=April 2000 |title=Chuck E. Cheese Studio C Maintenance Manual |url=https://archive.org/details/studio-c-technical-manual |access-date=August 1, 2024 |website=[[Internet Archive]]}}</ref> On the other end of the spectrum, an all-metal [[bunyip]] animatronic in Australia uses water to actuate the creature's mouth.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-09-08 |title=the bunyip {{!}} murray bridge tourism |url=https://www.murraybridge.sa.gov.au/tourism/things-to-see-and-do/family-activities-and-attractions/bunyip |website=Murray Bridge Tourism |access-date=2024-05-27 |archive-date=2024-05-27 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240527162912/https://www.murraybridge.sa.gov.au/tourism/things-to-see-and-do/family-activities-and-attractions/bunyip |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Materials ===
* '''Latex:''' White [[latex]] is commonly used as a general material because it has a high level of elasticity. It is also pre-vulcanized, making it easy and fast to apply.<ref>{{cite book|last1=James|first1=Thurston|title=The prop builder's molding & casting handbook|date=1997|publisher=Betterway Books|location=Cincinnati|isbn=978-1-55870-128-1|page=51|edition=6. pr.}}</ref> Latex is produced in several grades. Grade 74 is a popular form of latex that dries rapidly and can be applied very thick, making it ideal for developing molds.<ref name="buffingtonfx-skin" /> [[Foam latex]] is a lightweight, soft form of latex which is used in [[mask]]s and [[facial prosthetic]]s to change a person's outward appearance, and in animatronics to create a realistic "skin".<ref name="buffingtonfx-skin">{{cite web|last1=Buffington|first1=Jack|title=Skin and Molds|url=http://www.buffingtonfx.com/j1432/animatronics/molds.html|publisher=BuffingtonFX|access-date=2014-08-09|archive-date=2015-09-23|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923195050/http://www.buffingtonfx.com/j1432/animatronics/molds.html|url-status=live}}</ref> ''[[The Wizard of Oz (1939 film)|The Wizard of Oz]]'' was one of the first films to make extensive use of foam latex prosthetics in the 1930s.<ref>{{Cite book|title = Special Effects: An Introduction to Movie Magic|last = Miller|first = Ron|publisher = Twenty-First Century Books|year = 2006}}</ref>
* '''Silicone:''' Disney has a research team devoted to improving and developing better methods of creating more lifelike animatronics exteriors with [[silicone]].<ref name="siliconeresearch">{{cite web|last1=Chan|first1=Normal|title=Synthetic Skin For Animatronic Robots Gets More Realistic|url=http://www.tested.com/tech/robots/198315-synthetic-skin-for-animatronic-robots-gets-more-realistic/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140812200316/http://www.tested.com/tech/robots/198315-synthetic-skin-for-animatronic-robots-gets-more-realistic/|url-status=dead|archive-date=August 12, 2014|publisher=Whalerock Industries|access-date=9 August 2014|date=15 August 2012}}</ref> [[RTV silicone]] (room temperature vulcanization silicone) is used primarily as a molding material as it is very easy to use but is relatively expensive. Few other materials stick to it, making molds easy to separate.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Baygan|first1=Lee|title=Techniques of three-dimensional makeup|date=1988|publisher=Watson-Guptill|location=New York, NY|isbn=978-0-8230-5261-5|page=100}}</ref><ref name="molding">{{cite book|last1=James|first1=Thurston|title=The prop builder's molding & casting handbook|date=1997|publisher=Betterway Books|location=Cincinnati|isbn=978-1-55870-128-1|page=55|edition=6. pr.}}</ref> Bubbles are removed from silicone by pouring the liquid material in a thin stream or processing in a vacuum chamber prior to use. [[Fumed silica]] is used as a bulking agent for thicker coatings of the material.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Whelan|first1=Tony|title=Polymer Technology Dictionary|date=1994|pages=144–168|doi=10.1007/978-94-011-1292-5_8|publisher=Springer Netherlands|chapter=F|isbn=978-94-010-4564-3}}</ref>
* '''Polyurethane:''' Polyurethane rubber is a more cost effective material to use in place of silicone. Polyurethane comes in various levels of hardness which are measured on the [[Shore scale]]. Rigid [[polyurethane foam]] is used in prototyping because it can be milled and shaped in high density. Flexible polyurethane foam is often used in the actual building of the final animatronic figure because it is flexible and bonds well with latex.<ref name="buffingtonfx-skin" />
* '''Plaster:''' As a commonplace construction and home decorating material, plaster is widely available. Its rigidity limits its use in molds, and plaster molds are unsuitable when undercuts are present. This may make plaster far more difficult to use than softer materials like latex or silicone.<ref name="molding" />

=== Movement ===
[[Pneumatic]] actuators can be used for small animatronics but are not powerful enough for large designs and must be supplemented with [[hydraulic]]s. To create more realistic movement in large figures, an analog system is generally used to give the figures a full range of fluid motion rather than simple two position movements.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Kornbluh|first1=Roy D|last2=Pelrine|first2=Ron|last3=Qibing|first3=Pei|last4=Heydt|first4=Richard|last5=Stanford|first5=Scott|last6=Oh|first6=Seajin|last7=Eckerle|first7=Joseph|title=Electroelastomers: applications of dielectric elastomer transducers for actuation, generation, and smart structures|journal=Smart Structures and Material|date=July 9, 2002|volume=Applications of Smart Structures Technologies|issue=254|pages=254|doi=10.1117/12.475072|url=http://proceedings.spiedigitallibrary.org/proceeding.aspx?articleid=883273|ref=SPIE 4698|series=Smart Structures and Materials 2002: Industrial and Commercial Applications of Smart Structures Technologies|bibcode=2002SPIE.4698..254K|s2cid=110672457|url-access=subscription}}</ref>

Mimicking the often-subtle displays of humans and other living creatures, and the associated movement is a challenging task when developing animatronics. One of the most common emotional models is the [[Facial Action Coding System]] (FACS) developed by Ekman and Friesen.<ref name=ekman>{{cite book|last1=Ekman|first1=Paul|last2=Friesen|first2=Wallace V.|title=Unmasking the face : a guide to recognizing emotions from facial clues|date=1975|publisher=Prentice-Hall|location=Englewood Cliffs, N. J.|isbn=9780139381751|edition=2. [pr.]|url=http://ohycirac.files.wordpress.com/2014/07/unmasking-the-face-a-guide-to-recognizing-emotions-from-facial-clues.pdf|access-date=13 October 2014|archive-date=7 November 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141107232859/http://ohycirac.files.wordpress.com/2014/07/unmasking-the-face-a-guide-to-recognizing-emotions-from-facial-clues.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> FACS defines that through facial expression, humans can recognize six basic emotions: anger, disgust, fear, joy, sadness, and surprise. Another theory is that of Ortony, Clore, and Collins, or the OCC model<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Ortony |first1=Andrew |last2=Clore |first2=Gerald L. |last3=Collins |first3=Allan |date=1988 |title=The Cognitive Structure of Emotions |url=http://www.cogsci.northwestern.edu/courses/cg207/readings/Cognitive_Structure_of_Emotions_exerpt.pdf |url-status=dead |journal=[[Cambridge University Press]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151123055038/http://www.cogsci.northwestern.edu/courses/cg207/readings/Cognitive_Structure_of_Emotions_exerpt.pdf |archive-date=2015-11-23}}</ref> which defines 22 different emotional categories.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Ribeiro|first1=Tiago|last2=Paiva|first2=Ana|title=The Illusion of Robotic Life|url=http://gaips.inesc-id.pt/~apaiva/Ana_Paiva_Site_2/Home_files/IllusionRoboticLive-HRI2012.pdf|access-date=9 August 2014|publisher=INESC-ID|location=Porto Salvo, Portugal|archive-date=9 August 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140809183642/http://gaips.inesc-id.pt/~apaiva/Ana_Paiva_Site_2/Home_files/IllusionRoboticLive-HRI2012.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 2020 Disney revealed its new animatronics robot that can breathe, move its eyes very much like humans, and identify people around it in order to select "an appropriate" response, as opposed to previous Disney animatronics that were used in purely scripted, [[non-interactive]] situations, like [[theme park]] rides.<ref>{{cite web |title=Disney's new robot has a creepily human gaze |format=Video |website=CNN |date=2 November 2020 |access-date=4 Nov 2020 |url=https://www.cnn.com/videos/business/2020/11/02/disney-lifelike-robot-no-skin-orig.cnn-business/video/playlists/stories-worth-watching/ |archive-date=3 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201103231636/https://www.cnn.com/videos/business/2020/11/02/disney-lifelike-robot-no-skin-orig.cnn-business/video/playlists/stories-worth-watching/ |url-status=live }}</ref>