Jun 15 2015
DENSO robots have made it onto the big screen and can be seen in Marvel Studio’s latest release “Avengers: Age of Ultron”, a blockbuster movie that has already grossed 1.3 billion US dollars in theaters around the world since its release on May 1st. Marvel’s "Avengers: Age of Ultron" is the epic follow-up to the biggest Super Hero movie of all time.
When Tony Stark tries to jumpstart a dormant peacekeeping program, things go awry and Earth's Mightiest Heroes, including Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, The Incredible Hulk, Black Widow and Hawkeye, are put to the ultimate test as the fate of the planet hangs in the balance. As the villainous Ultron, an artificial intelligence, emerges, it is up to The Avengers to stop him from enacting his terrible plans, and soon uneasy alliances and unexpected action pave the way for an epic and unique global adventure.
DENSO Robotics provided three robots, two VS 050 and one VS 087, for a dramatic, turning-point scene set in the futuristic medical lab of Dr. Helen Cho (played by Claudia Kim), a geneticist helping the Avengers. “For this scene, we were not looking for industrial robots that would have fitted Stark’s lab, but rather for medical ones”, explains movie set designer Richard Roberts, one of the world’s leading sci-fi and fantasy set decorators. “After some research we found images of DENSO robots, which had the right, white color and the high-tech design we were looking for. We wanted to show the cutting-edge technology in Dr. Cho’s lab – and the robots reflect that image. The DENSO robots definitely had the best look suiting the existing set design.” The robots can be seen in the lab scene, when the Avengers are trying to stop Ultron: In the lab, Ultron attempts to force Dr. Cho into creating a physical body for him by applying her synthetic-tissue technology. Eventually, Ultron’s plan for human extinction is revealed, and the fight against Ultron begins while the robots’ movements can be seen in the background and also during a fascinating close-up.
The filming of the actual scene took place over three days last year near London. The robots were loaned to the production by DENSO Robotics, and a DENSO service representative was on site programming the robots in PacScript to perform regular pick-and-place functions with several position variables, which were easily obtained by using the functions within the controller. The robots then acted as if in a lab, moving test tubes (the two VS 050) and a laser probe used on some tissue in the lab (VS 087). The robots used on the set are part of the latest line of vertical robot arms in combination with DENSO’s latest model controller, the RC8. “The integration of the robots into the set was done manually and very easy, also thanks to the quick delivery and excellent DENSO service”, says Richard Roberts. Though they were not technically integrated with their software into the movie production technology, the set designers created custom-built work benches in order to accommodate the robots and then integrated them into the overall stage design.
Roberts, who shares a special fascination with robots, explains why they have become a popular feature in many books, comics and movies. “I believe this goes back to our childhood, when robots were still science-fiction – now they are suddenly part of our reality. It also fascinates that they copy human movements, both in production lines and in medical labs, for example, and perform amazing things. They really have come to life.” The set designer would use DENSO robots again in a movie with a contemporary or futuristic setting, fantasy or real.
For more information on Marvel’s “Avengers: Age of Ultron”, please visit www.marvel.com/movies
Source: https://www.densorobotics-europe.com/