Robotic dolphins are going to be introduced into three aquariums in China, and their inventor believes that the move could positively impact the species.
As film studios moved from practical effects to digital, a number of people looked at how to use their skills from the practical world in new ways. Roger Holzberg navigated this journey with Edge Innovations in the late ’90s, and helped develop an animatronic dolphin for a SeaWorld-style show. The practical effects developer was then asked to use his robotic dolphin skills 20 years later in China.
When Holzberg showcased his original mechanical dolphin, which required two people to man the controls, a viewer reportedly called the police as they believed that a real-life dolphin had been wired up to respond to commands. It was this realism that led to a Chinese aquarium chain asking Holzberg to recreate the project, but using the benefits of contemporary technology.
.webp)
