Animatronic skin fabrication.
A method of fabricating a skin system or its elements using a laser cutter. The laser cutter is controlled to perform multiple passes to selectively cut away layers of material on a surface of a sheet of cellular foam materials. Each layer of material to be removed is defined by a cut or texture pattern. The laser cutter is operated to cut deeper with each layer of material removed by setting a different resolution for the laser cutter for each layer. For example, a laser cutter may be selectively controlled to operate within a resolution range, and each layer defined by the same or different cut pattern is cut using a different resolution. The method includes associating lower resolution settings for the first or outer layers to remove a first depth of material from the skin sheet's surface and associating higher and higher resolution settings for additional layers.
BACKGROUND(1) 1. Field of the Description(2) The present description relates, in general, to systems and methods for fabricating skins or skin systems for use with robotic and other characters, and, more particularly, to a method (and system for implementing such a method) of fabrication for creating lightweight but durable skin systems for robotic or animatronic characters in a manner that is easily repeatable (e.g., allows an identical skin to be formed over and over), is useful with relatively large characters or figures, and is suited for quick and effective modifications to a skin system design (e.g., when a designer wants to change the stiffness, the outer texture, or another skin parameter, the method allows changes to be made in a simple, timely, and inexpensive manner).(3) 2. Relevant Background(4) Durable materials that are often also flexible and elastic such as plastics and rubbers are used in many applications to create coverings or skins that are applied over an internal physical support structure or skeleton. For example, skins or skin systems are used to create realistic models of humans, animals, and characters, and, when combined with robotics, such models may accurately simulate live beings.(5) Robotics involves the design and use of robots to provide programmable actuators or drivers to perform tasks without human intervention, and there have been significant demands for robotic devices (or robots as these terms may be used interchangeably) that simulate h
1. A method of texturing cellular foam material, comprising: providing a sheet of cellular foam material as input to a laser cutter; first controlling the laser cutter to make a first pass over a surface of the sheet cutting a first layer of a texture pattern; and second controlling the laser cutter to make a second pass over the surface of the sheet cutting a second layer of the texture pattern, wherein the second layer overlaps the first layer and wherein the laser cutter has a first resolution setting defining a first dots per inch (DPI) value for the laser cutter during the first controlling and a second resolution setting defining a second dots per inch (DPI) value for the laser cutter during the second controlling that is greater than the first DPI value defined by the first resolution setting, whereby the laser cutter concentrates more heat energy in the cellular foam material during the second controlling than in the first controlling to provide a deeper cut on the surface of the sheet during the second controlling.
9. A method of texturing cellular foam material, comprising: providing a sheet of cellular foam material as input to a laser cutter; first controlling the laser cutter to make a first pass over a surface of the sheet cutting a first layer of a texture pattern, wherein the second layer overlaps the first layer; and second controlling the laser cutter to make a second pass over the surface of the sheet cutting a second layer of the texture pattern, wherein the laser cutter has a power setting that is used for the first controlling and for the second controlling wherein the laser cutter has a first resolution setting during the first controlling and a second resolution setting during the second controlling that is greater than the first resolution setting, whereby the laser cutter concentrates more heat energy in the cellular foam material, while at the power setting, during the second controlling than in the first controlling to provide a deeper cut on the surface of the sheet during the second controlling, wherein the first layer is defined by a first dot pattern associated with the first resolution setting and the second layer is defined by a second dot pattern associated with the second resolution setting, and wherein the first dot pattern differs from the second dot pattern.
15. A method of texturing cellular foam material for use as a piece of a skin system for covering robotics, for use in a walk-around costume, or other uses, comprising: first controlling a laser cutter to operate at a first resolution during a pass over a surface of a sheet of cellular foam material to cut a first depth of a texture pattern; second controlling the laser cutter to operate at a second resolution greater than the first resolution during a pass over the surface of the sheet to cut a second depth of the texture pattern that is greater than the first depth and overlaps the first depth; and third controlling the laser cutter to operate at a third resolution greater than the second resolution during a pass over the surface of the sheet to cut a third depth of the texture pattern that is greater than the second depth and overlaps the first depth and second depth, whereby the laser cutter concentrates more heat energy in the cellular foam material during the second controlling than in the first controlling and more heat energy in the cellular foam material during the third controlling than in the second controlling.