Newsgroups: comp.robotics
Path: brunix!news.Brown.EDU!noc.near.net!howland.reston.ans.net!math.ohio-state.edu!news2.uunet.ca!xenitec!focsys!phil
From: phil@focus-systems.on.ca (Philip Rittenhouse)
Subject: Re: The Free Willy Orca Robot: anybody have details?
Message-ID: <1993Sep2.131013.6252@focus-systems.on.ca>
Organization: Focus Automation Systems Inc.
References: <CCMvvJ.5yy@math.uwaterloo.ca>
Date: Thu, 2 Sep 1993 13:10:13 GMT
Lines: 33

In article <CCMvvJ.5yy@math.uwaterloo.ca> mwtilden@math.uwaterloo.ca (Mark W. Tilden) writes:
>
>Apparently for the movie, an anthropormorphically correct robot was
>made of the killer whale.  My source sez that when this device was
>lowered into the water, it did exhibit a strong swimming capability.
>He knew nothing more however.
>
>I have not seen the movie, but does anybody have any further details as
>to if this robot was a tethered puppet (aka: Rex from Jurassic park) or
>fairly autonomous?  Any article references would be appreciated.  

	On the show "How did they do that?" they featured this robot.  The 
robot was, if I remember correctly, hydraulic (sp?) powered for the gross
movements at least.  It was also capable of realistic eye and blow hole
movements.  As far as I could tell, the beast was radio controlled and
completely sealed in its rubber skin.  The show did imply that if it didn't
work that it would have meant tearing it apart to get at the mechanics.
(No zipper I guess).  There was no tether that I could see, in the behind
the scenes shots they showed, so I assume that it had some kind of port
for recharging batteries.

	The creators apparently spent a great deal of time making it as
much like its live counter-part as possible.  Detailed measurements were
taken, its motion was closely duplicated, and even its mass and volume
where the same.

	The robot's swimming ability was demonstrated in the scene where the
whale carries the boy on its back as it swims in the pool.  I found it 
impossible to tell it was a robot, and it demonstrated a very strong swimming
ability, picking up speed quickly. 

	
Phil 
