[Edaily Reporter Shin Yeong-bin ] Olaf, the snowman from the movie “Frozen,” has stepped out of the screen. This robot, which wobbles as it walks, moves its head, and makes eye contact with the audience, has drawn attention for incorporating domestically produced components.

According to the robotics industry on the 17th, the Olaf robot that recently appeared at Disney’s fan event “D23” incorporates three types of “Dynamixel” smart actuators from ROBOTIS(108490). ROBOTIS highlighted Olaf as a case study for Dynamixel and revealed that the XH and XC series were used.

In a related research paper, Disney researchers specified that the Olaf robot uses a combination of ROBOTIS’ Dynamixel and actuators from the Chinese robotics company Unitree. Different products were selected based on joint size, required force, and installation space.

The Olaf robot is appearing in shows at “World of Frozen” at Disneyland Paris, which opened last March. Since it must maintain its balance even on a moving boat, Disney used reinforcement learning to train Olaf to adapt to unstable environments.

Although the robot stands just 88.7 cm tall and weighs only 14.9 kg, it boasts a total of 25 degrees of freedom (DoF) hidden within its body. Six degrees of freedom are applied to each leg, two to each shoulder, and three to the neck; it is also designed so that the chin, eyebrows, and eyes can move independently.

Disney researchers positioned one leg upside down to prevent the legs from colliding in the confined space. The exterior is covered in soft polyurethane (PU) foam. One of the components that enables Olaf’s expressions and movements within this confined space is the Dynamixel.

Industry observers note that this application demonstrates the competitiveness of domestically produced robot components. This is because character robots like Olaf, which must exhibit natural movements to humans despite having limited internal space, require miniaturized components and precise control.

AI played a key role in creating Olaf’s movements. The Disney research team utilized reinforcement learning technology to prevent component overheating. The robot independently selects its posture to regulate temperature. It was also trained to minimize even the mechanical impact sounds produced when taking steps.

This approach also accelerated the development of character robots. According to the company, while it took about a year to develop the BDX droid for “Star Wars,” Olaf was completed in about four months by leveraging existing simulation and AI development systems.

Disney plans to expand its efforts to bring animated characters into the real world using cutting-edge robot components and AI technology.

Kyle Ruffle, Senior Vice President of Research and Development (R&D) at Walt Disney Imagineering, said, “In the future, robots that move freely will provide new experiences for audiences.”

An actuator is a device that converts electrical signals into motion. It consists of a motor, a gearbox, and a controller integrated into a single unit. In Saramin terms, it corresponds to joints and muscles.