Entertainment Technology: The Disney Research Lab, Pittsburgh
The Disney Research lab engages the top talent of the entertainment industry's premier fantasy maker with the Carnegie Mellon’s unparalleled computer science and fine arts resources.
Affiliated with Carnegie Mellon's pioneering Entertainment Technology Center (ETC), the lab conducts research and development to enhance the user experience at Disney movies, games, and theme parks. Under the direction of Jessica Hodgins, Carnegie Mellon professor of computer science and robotics, the lab will explore areas such as computer animation, virtual reality, computational cinematography, autonomous interactive characters, robotics, data mining and user interfaces.
"The access Disney provides to real-world problems and data will enable us to do research with greater impact than is typically possible within a purely academic environment," said Hodgins. "At the same time, Disney Research in Pittsburgh can tap expertise at Carnegie Mellon that can be applied to problems that cut across all of Disney's business units."
The lab represents a significant step for the ETC, which was established in the fall of 1998, and is now recognized as a world leader in the field of entertainment technology. As the only center of its kind in the nation, the ETC attracts the best artists and computer scientists who come together to create a unique educational experience. Disney has been a strong supporter of the center since its inception—in addition to an established internship program with Walt Disney Imagineering, ETC students recently created a collection of arcade games for Disney's Spaceship Earth attraction at Epcot Center.
"Creating the next-generation of sophisticated technologies requires long-term vision and collaboration with world-class innovators," said Ed Catmull, president, Disney and Pixar Animation Studios. "We are strengthening our commitment to R&D throughout Disney by establishing [a lab] at Carnegie Mellon University."
