DARPA-funded inflatable robotics helps spark idea for silver screen star
Friday, November 14, 2014 - 09:00
in Mathematics & Economics
The giant, balloon-like inflatable robot named Baymax in Disney's Big Hero 6 has its roots in real-world research conducted by iRobot Corporation, Carnegie Mellon University and Otherlab under DARPA's Maximum Mobility Manipulation (M3) program. The film's co-director, Don Hall, has said he was inspired to cast Baymax as an air-filled, soft robot after he saw an inflatable robotic arm on a visit to Carnegie Mellon's Robotics Institute. Carnegie Mellon's work in soft robotics has been supported by DARPA and the National Science Foundation.