So robots are now making food, hitchhiking, just being all around Renaissance bots. Basically they do everything.
Now ,thanks to Disney we meet the next phase of robot, one that actually does go down the artist’s path. This new robot doesnât use a traditional canvas to create its masterpieces, it uses sand on the beach, itâs a beach bot!
Disney Research Zurich teamed up with Swiss engineering students to design the Beachbot robot. Disney Research is a network of labs that consist of research scientists who make new technologies for Disney. I know what youâre thinking, Disney has a research team in Switzerland? Are they plotting to take over the world through animatronic robots and Dole Whip? One can only dream.
For now theyâve been working on this artistically inclined robot. The bot was a thesis projects for undergrads and the task was to create a robot from scratch. It had to be quiet, safe around people, and be able to draw. Sounds like the weirdest job description ever. The bot looks like a futuristic turtle and when it moves — thereâs a rake that carves the designs into the sand. Perhaps not the fiercest battle bot, but it gets the job done.
Software is used to first transform images into art and then control Beachbotâs movement to create the final product. The team tested the bot on sand in the North Sea, then were invited to show it off on the warm, sandy beaches of Florida.
Beachbot is especially good at drawing faces and created a highly accurate drawing of Walt Disney on the sands of the beach at Walt Disney World. Look out beach goers, this is the evolution of the selfie on a massive scale.
Are you ready for robots to draw your likeness in the sand or do you think it will steal your soul? Let us know in the comments!