Disney's Robot Eyeballs Have A Freakishly Human-Like Stare

Disney Research, the R&D wing of everyone's favorite Hollywood House of Mouse, has built a robot with uncanny valley-defying gaze interaction that's so realistic you'll be convinced that you're looking at a real person. Audio-Animatronics are Disney's name for animatronic robots, created by Walt Disney Imagineering, that both move and make sounds in synchronized fashion. This latest update means that Disney's robots could potentially lock eyes with visitors and follow them around with their gaze. Depending on the animatronic model this was incorporated into, that could either create an emotional connection with the guest or, potentially, intimidate the bejesus out of them. "Eye gaze is a significant part of the interactions between people, quite a bit of information is conveyed through movements of the eyes," Matthew Pan, a postdoctoral associate at Disney Research, told Digital Trends.