We seriously can’t get over what an amazing fete of engineering this Baby Groot robot is. The Imagineers at Disney have done it again with this build. Just imagine you’re walking through California Adventure at Disneyland and you see Baby Groot, walking around and interacting with guests. Talk about magic!
TechCrunch was able to speak with Project Kiwi’s R&D Imagineer Principal Scott LaValley about the project:
“Project KIWI started about three years ago to figure out how we can bring our smaller characters to life at their actual scale in authentic ways. It’s an exciting time for bipedal robotics and with an incredible team and our combination of technology, artistry, and magic, we are bringing characters to life that could not have happened anywhere but Disney.”
At this point, there’s no clear plan to implement Project Kiwi’s amazing build in Disney’s theme parks, but we have to assume it’s the eventual goal.
Mary Anne Butler (Mab) has been part of the fast-paced world of journalism since she was 15, getting her start in album reviews and live concert coverage for a nationally published (print) music magazine. She eventually transitioned to online media, writing for such sites as UGO/IGN, ComicsOnline, Geek Magazine, Ace of Geeks, Aggressive Comix (where she is still Editor-in-Chief), Bleeding Cool (where she was News Editor), and now NerdBot as News Editor.
Over the past 10 years, she’s built a reputation at conventions across the globe as a cosplayer (occasionally), photographer (constantly), panelist and moderator (mostly), and reporter (always). Interviews, reviews, observations, breaking news, and objective reporting are the name of the game for the founder of Harkonnen Knife Fight, a Dune-themed band with an international presence.
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