Now TV

We were asked by a London based PR agency to create a Mesmer robot to help promote the launch of the popular TV series.  The robot “Melvin”, would be let loose on the unsuspecting public inside a specially rigged English pub.  Fred needed to not only look human, but it also needed to behave in a human way. A perfect opportunity for our Mesmer system.

The promotional robot had some very specific hoops to jump through. First of all, he had to physically match a real person (in step willing model Tedroy). Not only this, he had to be able to communicate and interact with the public in a human way, to shock and fascinate people.   Even more, it needed to be operated by the chap the robot was emulating. Tedroy is an actor and voice-over artist and has no prior experience or expertise in roboteering. The software had to be intuitive, so he could focus on what he does best – being Tedroy.   Oh, and we had just over 8 weeks, to scan our model, design, manufacture a unique shape, skin, assemble, test, integrate software, animate, skin and add facial hair one by one.   Easy right?