Besides Cal Kestis, the robot character BD-1 is an interesting one in the Star Wars Jedi Fallen Order and Jedi Survivor video game series. BD-1 has the character of a spoiled cat with the ability to interact like a human. Engineers from Disney Research have successfully produced BD-1 with its character developed using movements produced by animation and reinforcement learning experts.
Unlike regular robots, BD-1's characters will look more alive as they are programmed by animators at Disney. Then through reinforcement learning, BD-1 will give the right reaction when interacting with humans. It can give reactions such as happy, scared, shy and so on based on the input. This is done with several components such as moving antennas, eyes and ears.
The capabilities of this robot were shown last week at the National Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS) held in Detroit, United States. 3D printing techniques were used to produce this robot with the ability to move in four directions on the head and five directions on the legs to help it also show "emotions" through body movements.
Although designed for use in Disney theme parks, its designers saw the ability to interact as if it were alive could also be used in the real world on robots that provide assistance to humans. Disney did not share whether these robots will be introduced at the theme park in the near future.
Previously, robots that can stand up on their own, perform human-like acrobatics and look more realistic than normal animatronics have been used in several attractions in Disney parks.