Robot advances

Emma Roth reports on The Verge that robots are making advances: A humanoid robot makes eerily lifelike facial expressions; it’s interesting and a little scary.

She writes:

Engineered Arts, a UK-based designer and manufacturer of humanoid robots, recently showed off one of its most lifelike creations in a video posted on YouTube. The robot, called Ameca, is shown making a series of incredibly human-like facial expressions.”

But wait, there’s more! Meet Mesmer, even more life-like:

This, of course, builds on the research of Dr. Paul Ekman and his exploration of expression.

His FACS (Facial Action Coding System) is used by major animation studios to bring emotion to their creations.

My take: I wonder if robots will ever develop to the point where we can cast them in movies. I mean, we’re half way there with CG VFX.

Inside a Virtual Production

BBC Click has revealed glimpses of the virtual production techniques Jon Favreau harnessed before the “live action” Lion King was digitally animated.

The discussion of virtual production technology starts at 0:40. Details begin flowing about the Technicolor Virtual Production pipeline at 1:38.

Director Favreau explains further at 8:01 below:

My favourite line is: “We’d move the sun if we had to.”

Here’s Technicolor’s pitch for virtual production:

More here.

My take: Am I the only one that thinks it’s absurd for photo-realistic animals to talk and sing? I can buy the anthropomorphism in most animation, as the techniques they use are suitably abstracted, but this just looks too real. Maybe thought balloons?