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Autonomous Robots Could be the Future of High Flying Stunts in Hollywood (cnet.com)
From a report: Visitors to Disneyland and other Disney resorts could end up seeing robots tackling some pretty crazy, death-defying stunts usually reserved for Marvel superheroes and Star Wars Jedi Masters. Disney's latest Stuntronics experiments with robots include teaching them to crawl, row and now, more impressively, perform daring aerial acrobatics. A new video features the robots propelled into the sky to spin and leap like robotic superheroes. And they look even more advanced and human-like than the last time we saw them. The robots, initially nicknamed Stickman, work by using on-board accelerometers, gyroscopes and laser range-finding data to determine how to perform impressive stunts like single and double backflips.
Isn't all that CGI already anyway?
Though as always, why do we still have humans around if we can just as easily replace them with {CGI,robots,direct mind manipulation,...}?
CGI also looks terrible. It's like no one even makes an effort to look physical, it's all stylistic now. You think an actual "Transformer" could move that quickly if it were made of matter in the real world?
Mostly random stuff.
How do you propose they utilize CGI in a live stunt show at a theme park? Projections of pre-recorded video aren't very impressive.
Sounds like a big disadvantage for robot stunts. Too realistic and boring.
It's impossible to empathise with a robot. When it's a human up there, even a human stunt performer made up to look like the hero or villain, and we know they're well-trained and well-paid, there's that little touch of engagement between us and the performer.
If it's a robot, who cares if the stunt goes wrong, it falls, and breaks its head?
They sentenced me to twenty years of boredom
Robot rowing units are ready to row the big boat ride up and down the candy themed factory ride all day. No human shift workers needed.
No unions.
Paying guests per day is better as robots can be kept to a set rate of speed. The need to hire an entertainer lowers wage costs.
To tell tourists about the candy and how it is mixed.
A full crew with skills and musical ability for the big drum is not needed.
Domestic spying is now "Benign Information Gathering"
Bill Hicks suggested we use terminally ill people, which is much simpler, cheaper and more accessible.
To be honest, I feel no empathy for modern action movie actors. It's all so fake now. It doesn't help that they regularly show the 'behind the screen' action with every single thing covered in green sheets, and the actors full of white dots standing on a pile of mattresses.
Well, to be honest, with most of Hollywood's actors and how credible and sincere they can portray the hero, it doesn't help in the caring department either.
We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
the thrill of watching a stunt is knowing that a human is doing it, who cares about a stunting robot?
and for hollywood mvie stunt doubles, isn't it cheaper these days to just do cgi?
On a long enough timeline, the survival rate for everyone drops to zero.
If you can do it by robot, you can do it far, far cheaper by CGI.
Most ACs are not even worth the keystrokes to insult them. Be generically insulted by this and ignored otherwise.
Reminds me of the Friends episode where Chandler says about the death of Bambi's mom "So I should feel sad because the artists stopped drawing?"
There are plenty of examples where people feel empathy for innate objects (Insert joke about ex here). It could be that you are such a buzzkill that says "He is just acting, it is not real at all." with any movie and never read any book, because "how can you feel anything about some letters and punctuation.
So here is some information for you: regardless if it is an actor, a stuntman, a robot or CGI: it is not real.
Depending on how this is used, it could be bad (Michael Bay bad) or good (LotR good). It could mean that live actors can better interact with what is happening, while no restrictions that wires for a stuntman bring apply.
This being Disney it will be used both for good AND evil at the same time.
Don't fight for your country, if your country does not fight for you.
CGI also looks terrible. It's like no one even makes an effort to look physical, it's all stylistic now. You think an actual "Transformer" could move that quickly if it were made of matter in the real world?
Quickly? Maybe, it depends on how much power it's got, and can expend. What's really offensive is how flying vehicles and animals are moved around scenes. They almost never look realistic.
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
It's impossible to empathise with a robot. When it's a human up there, even a human stunt performer made up to look like the hero or villain, and we know they're well-trained and well-paid, there's that little touch of engagement between us and the performer.
If it's a robot, who cares if the stunt goes wrong, it falls, and breaks its head?
Ideally, the trick is to make it not look like a robot. If you can tell it's a robot then they've failed miserably... and yes, I do realize they fail miserably fairly frequently.
"That's the way to do it" - Punch
I foresee a whole lot of kids earning “Disney Darwin Awards”....