Na'vi Shaman

A colorful photo shows a pink and blue lit environment in which a friendly alien-like robot lifts it's arm toward the viewer.
Greeting visitors at Na'vi River Journey at Disney's Animal Kingdom park. Photo: Kent Phillips

The Na'vi Shaman is a highly expressive humanoid/alien-like robot, with fluid movements and lifelike features. She welcomes guests at Na'vi River Journey found in Pandora – The World of Avatar at Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park in Florida.

Creator

Walt Disney Imagineering

Year
2017
Country
United States 🇺🇸
Categories
Features
A highly expressive robot. Video: Walt Disney Imagineering

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Appearance

Neutral

Did you know?

The Na'vi Shaman sings and performs for about 16 hours a day, 365 days a year, with very limited breaks.

An uncovered photo of Na'vi Shaman shows all of the skeletal electronics, eyes and teeth.
The robot has 9000 parts and 3500 screws. Photo: Walt Disney Imagineering

Specs

Overview

With 42 degrees of freedom in the head, the Na'vi figure is able to perform a wide range of facial expressions that emulate emotion and convey feeling. The robot features independent shoulder movements in 9-DoF arms, allowing the figure to animate her shoulders and scapula to create a much richer and realistic body language. The control software uses real-time, model-based collision detection to prevent commanded motions from causing any damage.

Status

Ongoing

Year

2017

Website
Width
305 cm
Height
300 cm
Weight
170 kg
Sensors

Rotary encoders for absolute positioning

Actuators

DC motors, many of which are frameless and custom built

Degrees of Freedom (DoF)
81 (Head 42 DoF; Arms: 9 DoF x 2; Body: 21 DoF)
Materials

The skeletal body consists mostly of aluminum parts. Custom silicone skin materials.

Software

Custom control software