Researchers at Disney Research in Zurich, Switzerland have been
hard at work developing a new process to create ultra-realistic
animatronic characters that will entertain visitors at Disney
theme parks across the world. This groundbreaking process, which
they call "Physical Face Cloning," works by scanning the head of
a human subject and translating the resulting data into a 3D
printing program. The program takes into account specific
features of the face, including skin elasticity and thickness.
The 3D printer then builds a perfect mold of the subject's face,
and attaches a layer of synthetic silicon skin. The final
product is a lifelike robot head with very human details,
including accurate facial expressions and even wrinkles. Cloning
may not be the most accurate way to describe what Disney
Research is doing, though the term suggests just how realistic
these robot faces really are. "Physical Face Cloning" is yet
another example of the endless possibilities for innovation made
possible by 3D printing techno