Laminated Animatronic Skin Using Composite Foam and Polymer Layers
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing animatronic figure skins are heavy, difficult to repair, and compromise movement due to their dense silicone and foam construction, making them uneconomical for large-scale applications and requiring over-engineered frameworks.
Innovation Solution
A lightweight, laminated covering arrangement featuring a 0.5 to 5 mm thick stretchable polymer layer combined with a shaped foam preform from precast flexible foam sheets, providing durability and flexibility while allowing for easier repair and reduced load on articulation devices.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If thick silicone rubber and dense foam construction is used for animatronic skin, then durability and aesthetic realism are improved, but weight increases and movement flexibility deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies composite materials by combining foam core with silicone rubber skin layers. The foam provides structural support and bulk while the silicone layers provide durability and realistic appearance. This composite structure reduces overall weight compared to solid dense foam and thick silicone while maintaining the required durability and aesthetic properties through the synergistic combination of materials with different characteristics.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements local quality by varying the thickness and density of different layers in the skin construction. The foam core has different density zones, and the silicone layers have varying thicknesses in different regions of the animatronic figure. This allows optimal weight distribution and flexibility in movement-prone areas while maintaining durability in high-stress regions, resolving the contradiction between overall weight reduction and localized durability requirements.
2Reliability
If thick silicone rubber and dense foam construction is used for animatronic skin, then aesthetic realism is improved, but movement flexibility deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The multi-layer composite structure allows the outer silicone layers to be relatively thin yet still provide realistic appearance, while the foam core provides bulk without excessive weight. This composition enables better movement flexibility compared to solid thick constructions, as the foam core is lighter and can be engineered with appropriate density gradients to facilitate natural movement while maintaining aesthetic realism.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies dynamics by creating a skin structure that can flex and move naturally with the animatronic figure. The foam core is designed with appropriate density and thickness variations that allow dynamic movement, and the silicone layers are configured to flex with the underlying structure. This dynamic design enables realistic movement patterns while maintaining aesthetic appearance, resolving the contradiction between static realism and dynamic flexibility.
3Shape
If cast foam structure is used to provide bulk and configuration, then desired form is achieved, but foam density becomes non-uniform compromising movement flexibility
Solution Approach 1:
The patent addresses non-uniform foam density by implementing local quality control in the foam manufacturing process. Different regions of the foam core are engineered with specific density characteristics - denser areas where structural support is needed and less dense areas where flexibility is prioritized. This localized density variation allows the foam to maintain desired bulk and configuration while enabling natural movement and flexing of the animatronic skin.
4Reliability
If thick stretchable polymer layer is used for animatronic skin, then durability is improved, but weight increases and movement flexibility deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses composite materials to reduce the thickness requirement of the stretchable polymer layer. The foam core provides structural support that reduces the burden on the polymer skin, allowing thinner polymer layers to achieve the same durability. This composite approach maintains durability while reducing weight and improving movement flexibility, as the polymer layer doesn't need to be as thick to provide structural integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
The skin structure is segmented into multiple functional layers - the foam core providing structural support and the polymer layers providing durability and realistic appearance. This segmentation allows each layer to be optimized for its specific function, with the polymer layers being thinner than they would need to be in a non-composite structure, thereby improving movement flexibility while maintaining durability through the distributed structural support of the foam core.
Data Source
AI summary
A covering arrangement for an animatronic arrangement, the covering arrangement having a laminated structure comprising: an outer stretchable polymer layer having a thickness of between 0.5 to 5 mm; and a foam layer configured to provide desired bulk and form to the covering arrangement, wherein the foam layer comprises a shaped foam preform formed from precast flexible foam sheets.