Overview
- DisneyResearchHub published a technical paper and demo video documenting the self-walking Olaf built by Walt Disney Imagineering.
- A novel asymmetric six‑degree‑of‑freedom leg system is concealed under a soft polyurethane foam skirt to maintain the character’s silhouette.
- Walking and standing behaviors use reinforcement‑learning policies trained on animator‑created motion references, with an animation engine blending idle moves, gestures, and operator input.
- Footstep noise was reduced by about 13.5 dB through impact‑smoothing rewards, and a thermal‑aware controller adjusts motion based on actuator temperature to protect hardware.
- Facial expressions and arm gestures run on separate show functions with magnetically attached costume parts for safety, and Disney targets 2026 park appearances in Hong Kong and Paris.