Disney Builds An Adorable Robot To Etch Massive Pictures Onto The Beach

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Look — I love my job. But damn do the folks at Disney’s research labs have a fun looking gig.

We’ve seen them build systems that let them 3D print impossible spinning tops, software to turn 3D models into massive parade balloons, and solutions for doing motion capture outdoors with nothing but a few GoPros.

Now they’re building robots that can draw sprawling pictures across the beach.

The robot — aptly called “Beachbot” — works by dragging a set of pins through the sand, sort of like a rake. Each pin is individually raisable, allowing the bot to draw lines of varying thicknesses. More pins down = thicker lines drawn.

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