At the 2023 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS), a Disney Research team unveiled a new robotic character that is both adorable and expressive. Unlike other small bipedal robots, this robot is programmed to walk in an emotive way, giving it a unique sense of personality and liveliness. Disney Research has developed a system that combines reinforcement learning with animator vision to create expressive motions that can be used in various real-world settings. The robot, which is mostly 3D printed, has a four-degree-of-freedom head and five-degree-of-freedom legs that allow for dynamic balancing while walking. Disney envisions using these expressive robots to convey emotions and interact with humans in various applications. This development marks a significant step in bridging the gap between animation and robotics and allows for the creation of highly expressive and robust robotic characters.
https://spectrum.ieee.org/disney-robot