Robots: real vs. 3D

I love robots. I especially like it when those who I consider to be nerdier than myself, tell me things they know about robots and what the latest robot technology is. Someone who fits that description recently showed me a video of a robot designed by Boston Dynamics called BigDog and it both intrigued and repulsed me. I was intrigued because of my aforementioned love of robots and I was repulsed because, well, I’m not sure. I’m aware of the uncanny valley hypothesis where robots which look and act almost, but not entirely, like actual humans, cause human observers to feel revulsion, but the BigDog robot is not at all human-like (the clue’s in the name really). I think my reaction was probably related to the way the BigDog moves and the fact that it has two sets of legs which go in opposite directions – very “exorcist”.

As you might imagine, I really liked the Citroen C4 Transformer advert which was on TV a few years ago. It was an excellent example of motion capture and 3D graphics put together seamlessly by Toronto Production Company, Spy Films and The Embassy VFX in Vancouver.

I also liked Chevrolet’s take on the Citroen transformer which featured the slogan, “get real”; a nice contrast to “alive with technology” favoured by Citroen. The X-BAM “zero technology” spoof is also well put together and I like both the difference in concept and visual approach. It’s worth noting that, unlike Citroen, Chevrolet and X-BAM don’t use motion capture to animate their robots. The Citroen robot has accurate weight and movement which is very hard to achieve through animation alone. Have a look at this interactive demonstration of biological motion patterns – it really helps convey the nuances of human movement.

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