Animatronic figures can be implemented with both computer and human control, including teleoperation. Īnimatronics is a multidisciplinary field integrating puppetry, anatomy and mechatronics. Robots (or other artificial beings) designed to convincingly resemble humans are known as " androids". Since then, robots have become known as more practical programmable machines that do not necessarily resemble living creatures. They are a modern variant of the automaton and are often used for the portrayal of characters in films and in theme park attractions.īefore the term "animatronics" became common, they were usually referred to as " robots". Animatronics refers to mechatronic puppets.