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Pneumatic Actuators, Motors, Accessories
News Release from: Norgren | Subject: Pneumatics bring animatronic character to life
Edited by the Engineeringtalk Editorial
Team on 12 September 2000
Pneumatics bring animatronic character
to life
When the Twentieth Century Fox production called Gargantua was shot in Australia last year, the central animatronic character's upper body alone used 22 Norgren cylinders
A family of pneumatically powered models of amphibian creatures from the deep took centre stage in a high-budget television film screened in the US The Twentieth Century Fox production called 'Gargantua' was shot in Australia last year
This article was originally published on Engineeringtalk on 19 Feb 2001 at 8.00am (UK)
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Australia's leading animatronics company, John Cox's Creature Workshop, determined that the only possible way to make the heavy creatures move, even in water, was to use pneumatics.
After a long career in animatronics, featuring an Academy Award for 'Babe', company director John Cox saw the Gargantuan family as a personal challenge.
"We had 10 weeks to build eight versions of family members, ranging in size from the baby at one metre in height to a full size head of their mother measuring three metres high by 3.5 metres long", said Cox.
'Junior', the central character of the movie, is three metres tall and was needed in four different versions, including two silicone versions which performed in water.
Cox said: "With the added weight of the silicone and the water, the only solution was to use pneumatics.
"We like to produce movement which is anatomically correct so that means creating flexible skeletal structures and workable muscular systems.
In Junior's upper body alone 22 Norgren cylinders were used, including RT/57200, RA/800 and RM/900 series.
These combinations were used to achieve the right amount of flexion and rotation to make him look not just real but alive and angry." The cylinders were able to control the speed of Junior's movements by using flow controllers.
Each movement could be individually adjusted to obtain the desired, most natural effect.
Using SuperX valves coupled to the cylinders with Pneufit fittings, the puppeteers found the mechanism most responsive, making it easy to create the desired performance.
"When it comes to film work you don't want to be responsible for holding up shooting", said Cox.
"Norgren's prompt service and flexibility to adapt standard products to meet the demanding requirements proved a fail safe combination.".
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