It was during a visit to Carnegie Mellon University’s Robotics Institute a few years ago that Disney Director Don Hall found the inspiration for Baymax, one of the main characters for box office hit “Big Hero 6.”
During his tour of the Institute, Hall saw a robot arm made of balloons and he knew almost immediately that the Baymax character would be an inflatable robot.
In the movie, Baymax is the creation of a boy named Hiro, designed originally to be a gentle robot and serve as Hiro's personal bodyguard, butler, and chauffeur. Prior to the project's completion, however, Baymax is equipped with artificial intelligence and joins a team of high-tech heroes.
Although Baymax is fictional, the inspiration behind the character nevertheless showcases a growing field of research called soft robotics. This developing trend of inventing robots using materials such as fabrics, balloons, and light plastics is proving that there are distinct advantages over their heavier metallic counterparts, including decreased costs, lower weights, and increased safety when operating near humans.
Carnegie Mellon University is at the forefront of a great deal of robotics and sensor-based research. In the university’s Robotics Institute, Professor Yong-Lae Park is developing a lightweight robotic arm that will use balloons as exterior cushions, while engaging inflatable artificial muscles to stimulate the arm. At the same time, an assistant professor within the university’s Mechanical Engineering Department is developing stretchable elastic films and flexible electronics that can serve as artificial skin when integrated into soft robots or clothing.
Applications for soft robotics are varied, and can include those within the healthcare, military and aerospace industries, just to name a few. For more information on research and developments coming out of Carnegie Mellon University’s Robotics Institute, visit www.ri.cmu.edu.
Via Carnegie Mellon University; Image via Google Images
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