Disney research comes up with face cloning process

For years Audio-Animatronics has been a staple at Disney attractions. (Here's a quick history.) But one of the problems the company has had to deal with is how to exactly duplicate facial expressions. Much of the time this has been hampered not by the mechanical process, but by the "skin" placed over the mechanics.

Now, Disney Research Zurich has come up with a process for designing, simulating, and fabricating synthetic skin that mimics the face.

According to the research abstract, the process begins with capturing 3-D facial expressions of a person by high definition cameras and then analyzing the expressions by using a simulation program to predict the facial behavior of a face when it is placed on top of robotic frame. Then the program determines how thick silicone (which is used as skin) should be in various spots to mimic all facial expressions and predict how the soft tissue around the face, including the forehead, looks.

Then a mold is created and silicone is injected. Seven days later, the skin is ready to be placed on the animatronic device.

This video gives a look at how it all comes together.