The roots of modern animatronics lie in the Middle Ages, when entertainers used mechanized puppets in shows. The first major animatronic attraction, however, was in 1939, when Westinghouse presented an exhibit featuring a robot, Electro, and his animatronic pet Sparko.
Animatronics reached mass appeal during the 1964 World's Fair in New York. Walt Disney presented a robotic Abraham Lincoln as part of its "Great Moments With Lincoln" exhibit. However, the technology for creating animatronics was still complicated and expensive, so not many amusement parks incorporated them. It took a decade for animatronics to gain popular appeal in Hollywood as opposed to amusement parks. Steven Spielberg's blockbuster flick "Jaws," featuring an animatronic killer shark, ushered in a new favorite special effect for films.
One of the ongoing refinements in animatronics technology concerns the nature of motion. Engineers and artists strive to create figures that move in ways that appear humanistic as opposed to robotic. The more broken and mechanical the motion appears, the less the appeal for animatronics. These days, computers operate animatronics as opposed to human operators, so the result is more exact and refined. Among the recent innovations in the field is Japan's development of a robot, Asimo, that climbs stairs. However, like the early experiments in animatronics, these contemporary robots come at a high price, beyond many people's budgets.
Animatronics technology is constantly changing to keep up with consumer trends and the needs of the market. These days, innovators are working on creating animatronics that can interact with people one-on-one. Another trend is toward the burgeoning market of created haunted animatronics. Halloween and haunted house rides are popular, driving a need for darker attractions such as electric chairs and torture devices.
Animatronics have had the starring role in several movies. In the 1980s, muppet creator Jim Henson produced "The Dark Crystal," a fantasy movie populated with mechanized puppets. "Jurassic Park" was another noteworthy film, starring a roster of animatronic reptiles integrated with computer animations.