Walt Disney Company is teaming up with
Carnegie Mellon University and the
Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich to establish global research labs in Pittsburgh and Zurich.
The initiative taps two world-class innovators, both known for their cutting-edge work in computer science and technology, to conduct research and development for just about all of Disney’s divisions: Disney’s Parks & Resorts Division, Disney Media Networks, ESPN, Walt Disney Feature Animation, Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, Disney Interactive Media Group and Pixar Animation Studios.
Each lab represents a five-year commitment from Disney to fund a director and seven to eight principal investigators who will be Disney employees. Additional staff will include professors, academics, interns, scientific consultants and collaborators. The work will revolve around computer animation, computational cinematography, robotics and autonomous interactive characters.
“Entertainment technology is a big draw for young people and students and we hope we will be able to employ some of them here in Pittsburgh,” says Carnegie Mellon robotics professor Jessica Hodgins, director of Disney Research, Pittsburgh. “Disney is fundamentally a content company, much less interested in technology that comes shrink-wrapped. They want us to create content for rides and productions.”
Disney has launched an international job search to fill the positions, Hodgins adds. The initial research will involve the development of autonomous interactive characters in support of robots and characters in the park.
The Disney Research lab office will be located a block away from the school’s computer science complex on Forbes Avenue. While Carnegie Mellon and the
Entertainment Technology Center have worked with Disney in the past, this marks the first formal collaboration between the two.
Writer: Debra Smit
Source: Jessica Hodgins, Byron Spice, Carnegie Mellon University
Image courtesy The Walt Disney Company