How creepy does that sound? A Disney Research team in Zurich, Switzerland, has invented a new robot-making technique dubbed “face cloning.” This process, as crazy as it sounds, involves 3d digital scanning of the face and then later use that information to create a silicon based face that will be emulate and recreate a real face, right down to wrinkles one creates when they smile!

Once the CGI characters are created, a 3D mold is made into which liquid silicone is injected. After curing, the skin is attached to the animatronic robot head that will help recreate the facial expressions, except of course, the eyes. The optimized model of the head defines the robot’s range of movements and locates the optimum points to attach the artificial skin. In the future, the developers hope to give the skin more flexibility and introduce a multi-layered skin to provide more control over its movements.

[Gizmag]

Topics: Gadgets Tags: Clone-Faces, Disney, Switzerland on August 16, 2012