Disney partners with universities for R&D

LOS ANGELES, Aug. 12 (UPI) -- The Walt Disney Co. has announced a research partnership with Carnegie-Mellon University in Pittsburgh and the Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich.

Jessica Hodgins, head of the operation at Carnegie-Mellon, said the first assignment is to design robots that can entertain visitors to Disney World and other Disney theme parks, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reported.

"It would be really nice if a robot would be able to interact with a crowd for a long time, maybe 20 minutes or 15 minutes," Hodgins said. "I think that would be a real accomplishment."

The Swiss operation will research computer animation.

Joe Marks, vice president for research, said the company chose Carnegie-Mellon because the university has a history of business partnerships. He also cited the university's work on robotics and entertainment computing.