Three patents recently granted to Walt Disney Imagineering cover the technology used for the transforming pirate animatronic at Disneyland.
Transforming Pirate Patents
The animatronic debuted when Pirates of the Caribbean reopened from refurbishment in June. The pirate’s face transforms from a living moving expression to a static skull thanks to a mix of animatronic and projection technology.
Patent 20260225255, Dynamic Mechanical Skin Structures for Animatronic Figures, addresses the physical “skin” on the animatronic’s shell and an actuator to move the skin in a way that complements projections.
The abstract states, “The actuator may be mechanically coupled to the skin. The actuator may move the skin to change a topography of the skin to mimic a facial expression. The skin may define a continuous projection surface. A projector may project content onto the projection surface.”
Patent 20260225256, Hybrid Approach to Perform Dynamic Projection Mapping Onto Robotic Figures in Real-Time, expands on this technology.
“For example,” reads the abstract, “a robotic system may include a continuous projection surface coupled to a structure. The robotic system may further include an actuator coupled to the structure that is configured to change a topography of a portion of the continuous projection surface. The robotic system may further include a projector positioned relative to the continuous projection surface that is configured to project content onto the continuous projection surface. In some cases, the robotic system may align a projection surface with a projector, wherein the projection surface defines a continuous projection screen over the
robotic structure, actuate a mechanical movement of the projection surface to change a topographical shape of the projection surface, and project a content specific to the change of the topographical shape.”
The last patent is Skin Embedded Markers for Dynamic Projection Mapping of Animatronic Figures (20260225258). This one describes elements embedded in an animatronic’s skin that would provide a light signature. A camera detects the light signature, then a controller modifies the projected content in response.
See the transforming animatronic in action in our POV video of Pirates of the Caribbean below.
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The post Disney Granted Patents for Transforming Pirate Animatronic Technology Used on Pirates of the Caribbean at Disneyland appeared first on WDW News Today.
