Edge Innovations created a realistic dolphin robot that's designed to look and swim just like a real dolphin in the water. 'Flipper' was named and designed by Roger Holzberg and Walt Conti—the former Vice President and Creative Director at Walt Disney Imagineering, respectively—and the impressive bot boasts a 600-pound form of lifelike muscle and skeletal structure. The animatronic bottlenose dolphin is designed to be remote controlled and it has the potential to be used to replace cetaceans that are held in captivity, especially as dolphin encounters and performances are being reinvented for ethical reasons.
From innovative digital—fish-free—aquariums to cruelty-free circuses with holographic animals, entertainment and tourism is changing as animals in captivity are being phased out to better support animal welfare.
Swimming Dolphin Robots
Edge Innovations' Realistic Dolphin May Replace Cetaceans in Captivity
Trend Themes
1. Realistic Dolphin Robots - Creating realistic dolphin robots as a potential replacement for cetaceans in captivity.
2. Ethical Animal Entertainment - Shifting towards cruelty-free circuses and holographic animals to support animal welfare.
3. Innovative Digital Aquariums - Developing fish-free aquariums as a new form of entertainment that eliminates animal captivity.
Industry Implications
1. Entertainment - Opportunity for entertainment companies to introduce realistic dolphin robots for ethical animal performances.
2. Tourism - Potential for the tourism industry to adopt cruelty-free circuses and innovative digital aquariums to attract visitors with ethical animal experiences.
3. Technology - Creating lifelike robotic dolphins requires advancements in robotics and animatronics, presenting opportunities for technology companies.