Disney’s clumsy new bunny bot finds ways to create instant human connections
By being imperfect and "human-like" robots are finding new ways to connect with humans.
Key takeaways
- See Lucy in action On Linkedin, Martin Harbech who is Group Director at Meta shared a clip of the robotic bunny in action.
- Disney did not confirm whether park guests will see this robot at their parks in the future but they did also show off other creations they've been working on.
Cite or link to this article
Griffin, M. (2023) 'Disney’s clumsy new bunny bot finds ways to create instant human connections', 311 Institute, 16 March. Available at: https://www.fanaticalfuturist.com/2023/03/disneys-clumsy-new-bunny-bot-finds-ways-to-create-instant-human-connections/ (Accessed: 1 October 2026).
A robot that will "bring out a characters’ personality" was unveiled at during Disney Parks' appearance at South by Southwest (SXSW).
During the presentation called "The Art & Science Behind Disney’s Timeless Storytelling," the robotic bunny climbed out of a box and onto the stage doing a neat forward roll in the process.
Disney Parks, Experiences and Products Chairman Josh D’Amaro and Walt Disney Imagineers Tony Dohi, Tony Dibani and Morgan Pope spoke about the technology that the company has been developing that can have "an emotional connection” with park guests.
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On stage, the robot bunny showed off different skills such as rollerblading, somersaulting as well as falling down and getting back up which are said to be a "new way to bring out a characters’ personality."
“Robotics is all about precision, repeatability … and inhuman perfection,” Pope said, “we are using high-performance materials, and taking advantage of mechanical scaling effects, so she’s dynamic and tough. But we’re also using motion capture data because we want to make performances that have emotion embedded in them.”
Dohi and Pope who are behind the Spider-Man robot that performs backflips in Avengers Campus at Disney California Adventure noted the purpose of utilising this creation.
"Can we make an audience actually feel anxious for our little robot here if we ask her to premiere her big stunt in front of this huge… crowd?” Diho explained.
See Lucy in action
On Linkedin, Martin Harbech who is Group Director at Meta shared a clip of the robotic bunny in action.
"If you don’t believe humans will one day have robot companions, this 90-sec clip is really worth watching," he wrote in a post. "Pay special attention to the instant emotional reaction from the audience … after just a minute with her.'"
At the moment the robot is nameless but it has had comparisons it to rabbit Judy Hopps, from Disney’s Oscar-winning 2016 animated movie, Zootopia.
Disney did not confirm whether park guests will see this robot at their parks in the future but they did also show off other creations they've been working on.
One of those being another "blue-sky" meet-and-greet concept where fans have a live conversation with pixie-sized Tinker Bell and during the demonstration answered questions while she appeared in a lantern.
FAQ
Why does this matter?
By being imperfect and "human-like" robots are finding new ways to connect with humans.
About the author
Matthew Griffin Founder, 311 Institute
Matthew Griffin is a multi-award winning Futurist and expert in Disruption and Innovation, Geopolitics, Leadership, and Technology, who NASA have described as a "walking encyclopaedia of the future" and a "futurist Polymath."
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Matthew Griffin is a multi-award winning Futurist and expert in Disruption and Innovation, Geopolitics, Leadership, and Technology, who NASA have described as a "walking encyclopaedia of the future" and a "futurist Polymath." 17-time best selling author of the "Codex of the Future" series, Matthew is the Founder and Futurist in Chief of the 311 Institute, a global Futures and Deep Futures advisory firm working with royal households, world leaders, G7, G20, and G77 governments, NGOs, and multi-national mid and mega cap firms to help them explore, shape, and lead the next 50 years of business and society.
An award-winning YouTube creator with over a million followers, with an unrivalled global reach and impact, Matthew is a highly sought-after international keynote speaker, lecturer, and mentor who collaborates with global leaders through the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) and United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) to shape pivotal initiatives such as the UN’s AI for Humanity program, the United Nations Conference of the Parties (UN COP), and the World Economic Forum in Davos.
As the former Global Head of Cloud, National Security, and Enterprise Sales for companies including Atos, Dell-EMC, and IBM, Matthew has a proven track record of building multi-billion dollar business units and turning failing divisions into market leaders. His ability to identify, analyse, and communicate the implications of hundreds of emerging technologies and trends is unparalleled, and his insights are trusted by many of the world’s most respected organisations, including ABB, Accenture, Adidas, AON, ARM, BCG, Centrica, Citi, Coca-Cola, Dentons, Deloitte, Dow Jones, EY, Google, KPMG, Lego, Legal & General, LinkedIn, Microsoft, PepsiCo, Qualcomm, RWE, Samsung, Siemens AG and Siemens Energy, T-Mobile, UBS, VISA, Walmart, Workday, Worldpay and many others.
Regularly featured in the global media including the AP, BBC, Bloomberg, CNBC, Discovery, Forbes, Khaleej Times, Telegraph, TIME, ViacomCBS, WIRED, and the WSJ, Matthews mission is to help organisations create a fair and sustainable future whose benefits are shared by everyone irrespective of their ability, background, or circumstances.
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Sources and further reading
- For the first time disney parks takes the stage at sxsw 2023 disneyconnect.com
- Harbech disney just unveiled this if you don ugcPost 7040941087372242944 RIv4 linkedin.com
Source: first published by the 311 Institute on 16 March 2023. Cite as: Griffin, M. (2023). Disney’s clumsy new bunny bot finds ways to create instant human connections. 311 Institute. https://www.fanaticalfuturist.com/2023/03/disneys-clumsy-new-bunny-bot-finds-ways-to-create-instant-human-connections/
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