Universal, Disney detail plans for projections on animatronics
Theme parks have been using projection mapping for years. Disney and Universal have used the technique in multiple nighttime spectaculars to transform their castles, making the structures into three-dimensional canvases for their projection shows.
But what happens if you want to project onto something that moves, like a character? That question drives patent applications from Universal this week.
In System and Method for Projection Mapping Actuatable Objects, Universal describes its proposal for coordinating a projection mapping system onto a moving character, calibrating its video and audio so that they look and sound right to the viewing audience.
Image from Universal's patent application
One example of this seems to be the Dr. Victoria Frankenstein animatronic in the preshow of Monsters Unchained at Universal Epic Universe.
In Dynamic Projection Mapping Using Tag Array, Universal takes that a step further by bringing RF tags into the equation, to trigger the animation on the character.
Coincidentally, Disney this week also has filed a patent application regarding projection onto a character. In Neural Shape Deformation Transfer, Disney describes a machine learning model for transforming video images of a face to be convincingly projected onto the surface of an animatronic's face.
An example? Look at the new changing pirate face on Disneyland's Pirates of the Caribbean.
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They're using the new pirate face as an example of a convincing projection now? Are they trying to gaslight us?