Boston Dynamics have become the name synonymous with the robot revolution, and their video release from back in May was a reminder of just how advanced their machines have become.

Care to meet Atlas, the quasi-human?

They’re not the only company that is hard at work to speed up the robot revolution, and this time around we’re looking at Disney and their Stuntronics project.

TechCrunch with the scoop:

Stuntronics are autonomous, self-correcting aerial performers that make on-the-go corrections to nail high-flying stunts every time. Basically robotic stuntpeople, hence the name…

[Disney] came up with the concept of a stunt double for the ‘hero’ animatronic figures that could take their place within a show or scene to perform more aggressive maneuvering [sic], much in the same way a double replaces a valuable and delicate actor in a dangerous scene…

The Stuntronics robot features on-board accelerometer and gyroscope arrays supported by laser range finding.

Great, now they’ve got friggin laser beams.

Before we get to the Stuntronic robots, let’s see Disney’s Disney Animatronics efforts from last year:

I can imagine that machine sliding into my nightmares.

OK, you’re ready to see the robot stunt doubles flying through the air. Buckle up:

It starts with them doing our stunts, and it ends with them rendering us obsolete and becoming our overlords.

Good job, Disney.

You can read all about their plans for the Stuntronics here.

[source:techcrunch]