What is "animatronics"

alt. A form of robotics used to create robots that produce preset moves and prerecorded sounds. n. A form of robotics used to create robots that produce preset moves and prerecorded sounds.

n. the construction of robots to look like animals (developed for Disneyland)

Animatronics refers to the use of robotic devices to emulate a human or an animal, or bring lifelike characteristics to an otherwise inanimate object. A robot designed to be a convincing imitation of a human is more specifically labeled as an android. Modern animatronics have found widespread applications in movie special effects and theme parks and have, since their inception, been primarily used as a spectacle of amusement.

Animatronics is a multi-disciplinary field which integrates anatomy, robots, mechatronics, and puppetry resulting in lifelike animation. Animatronic figures are often powered by pneumatics, hydraulics, or by electrical means, and can be implemented using both computer control and human control, including teleoperation. Motion actuators are often used to imitate muscle movements and create realistic motions in limbs. Figures are covered with body shells and flexible skins made of hard and soft plastic materials, and finished with details like colors, hair and feathers and other components to make the figure more realistic.

Animatronics is the use of mechatronics to create machines which simulate animate life with lifelike characteristics.

Animatronics may also refer to:

• Animatronic (album), an album by the Kovenant
• Audio-Animatronics, a form of robotics created by Walt Disney Imagineering