Face cloning: steps in modeling the digital face and the final result in silicone (Image: Disney)
In the case of modern robotics , it has been big challenge to make them look something close to an actual human, although it has been turning out pretty creepy every time. So in a bid to improve upon this flaw in humanoid robotics, a Disney Research team in Zurich, Switzerland, has invented a new robot-making technique dubbed “face cloning.” This technique combines 3D digital scanning and advanced silicone skins to give animatronic robots more realistic facial expressions.
Facial cloning sounds rather alarming, but its purpose is very straightforward. Basically, it’s a way of scanning a person’s face in 3D and then using that information to design and fabricate an artificial skin that will move much more realistically - not just in general, but as a close imitation of the original person right down to the wrinkles made while laughing.
The process uses scanning and digital processing techniques already used in the creation of CGI characters.The Disney team’s goal was to produce a single skin that can reproduce the vast range of human expressions and to automate that process as much as possible, a process which was earlier pretty costly as well as labor intensive, ending in an unsatisfactory result.
The process they developed starts with using motion capture technology to scan a person’s head while the subject runs through a “performance” of various facial expressions. The resulting 3D scan is then used to produce a digital “mesh” - a sort of map of the face. This is used to design what the team called an optimized model of the robot head. This model defines the robot’s range of movements and locates the optimum points to attach the artificial skin.
The model also allows the researchers to select the best composition of skin. Disney isn't aiming to reproduce many properties of real skin because its goals are output based. In other words, the key objective is that the robot looks right. This means that Disney can use silicone rubber skin instead of more realistic alternatives that may behave more like the real thing.
This "skin" is actually thickened at various areas, to move and deform realistically, guided by the digital model, regarding where the skin attaches with the skull, and ensures minimizing of its stretching.
Once the head and skin have been designed, a 3D mold is made into which liquid silicone is injected. Once the skin cures and is attached to the motorized metal and plastic skull, the result is a realistic animatronic robot head. The only obvious difference to the casual eye is that the head is slightly larger than the original person’s in order to make up for the limitations of the robot’s movements.
In the future, the team hopes to give the skin more flexibility and introduce a multi-layered skin to provide more control over its movements.
The video below outlines Disney's face cloning process.
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