During this weekend’s Destination D23 event at Walt Disney World, keynote speaker Josh D’Amaro, Chairperson of Disney Parks, Experiences and Products, revealed that Disney Imagineers are working on something they’ve nicknamed “Project EXO.”
As you know, Disney characters come in all shapes and sizes, but for some of the larger characters, the weight of a regular costume may be too much for the performer.
Enter “Project EXO”, a full-body exoskeleton system that enables the performer to take on the larger characters by shifting the majority of the weight to the exoskeleton.
It also gives pneumatic assistance at the joints, like elbows, to make moving heavy arms and legs easier. What pneumatic means is the system uses compressed air to aid in the movement.
The Imagineers present at Destination D23 revealed they have even been working with 3D printing body parts like hands with a lattice framework. The empty spaces don’t affect the movement, but do reduce the weight of the body part.
You can see both the pneumatic exoskeleton and the lattice 3D printed hands in this video over at the Disney Parks Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/CWgLb3RpLWw/ – sorry they don’t allow us to embed it here.
Imagine the character possibilities utilizing this new exoskeleton technology. Imagine the uses beyond bringing park characters to life.
Do you enjoy peeks behind the curtain like this on technology Disney Imagineers are working on? I sure do. Let me know what you think in the comments!