Storytime at Woodland Cove
Students and staff at STEAM Studio developed animatronic characters for the NC Arboretum’s Winter Lights Exhibition. The characters include a life sized elk, bear, bobcat, racoon, goose and squirrel. The elk was completed for the 2021 Winter Lights and the remaining characters were introduced in the 2022 exhibition. Seven students from the joint UNCA/NCSU mechatronics engineering capstone course started the project in the Fall of 2019 by defining the scope and developing the characters with the Arboretum. The students created preliminary designs and prototypes in the spring of 2020 before their semester was cut short by the Covid 19 pandemic. Studio staff and student workers completed the project over the next two years as the characters and the exhibition evolved. Check out the behind the scenes videos and images of the process below.
Elk Process Images
Animatronic Elk
Animatronic Elk
Animatronic Elk
Animatronic Elk
The animation process of the Animatronic Elk
Wiring and mechanics of the Animatronic Elk
STEAM Studio crew works on the antlers for the animatronic elk project
End results of a part being held up to the original blueprints
Foam body of the animatronic elk
Multiple elements come together as the animatronic elk takes shape
Multiple elements come together as the animatronic elk takes shape
Multiple elements come together as the animatronic elk takes shape
Multiple elements come together as the animatronic elk takes shape
Final result of the animatronic elk