We have questions
Orbicularis Systems is a small San Francisco Bay Area studio focused on expressive puppetronic characters. These are the questions that keep us at the bench.
- 01
Why are the expressions of android robots so limited and unnatural?
Bulky mechanisms leave little room inside a head. Some movements are easier to imitate than others: pursing the lips or squinting the eyes is especially difficult to recreate in a soft face.
- 02
Can we create a portable robot that fits in a child's hand or backpack?
Action figures and puppets fit comfortably in your hand. We're working to bring that scale to expressive robot characters without losing their liveliness.
- 03
Does one have to be a millionaire or a big corporation to afford their own robot character?
We want to make robot characters accessible to home hobbyists, the theatrically inclined and anyone with imagination. Affordability is a design goal, not a price promise yet.
- 04
Can the robot be programmed?
Our aim is to let you direct a character live or script a scene, including speech and facial movement. We're still developing how that will work.
- 05
Can I lip read my robot if its voice is silent?
We're developing articulated speech movements, including the tongue and throat. Lip-readable silent speech remains a goal, not a finished feature.
Before you ask
What is Orbicularis Systems building?+
We're developing expressive puppetronic characters, beginning with hand-sculpted characters called The Storyteller, The Frog Man and The Muse. Our work explores small, expressive heads and speech articulation. Larger-scale designs and lip-readable speech are goals, not finished products.
Where does the name come from?+
From the muscles of the face. The orbicularis oculi encircle the eyes and the orbicularis oris is the main mouth muscle. The full range of emotion also engages the forehead, nose, cheeks, tongue and chin, so rather than pushing on the surface of the skin, we move the masses underneath.
Do I need to be a puppeteer to use one?+
That's not the goal. Self-authorship guides our work: we want you to animate a character live or script your own scene without puppeteer training. The controls are still in development.
What does puppetronics mean?+
Puppeteers control characters live. Animatronics can use programmed sequences and electronic controllers. Puppetronics brings hands-on, live performance together with electronically moved character features.
When does the Kickstarter go live?+
We're not announcing a date yet. Join the waitlist and you'll be emailed the moment the campaign opens, before we announce it anywhere else.
When will it ship?+
Shipping timelines are confirmed with the Kickstarter campaign. We'd rather commit to a date we can hold than guess now, waitlist members hear it first.
Who is behind Orbicularis Systems?+
A four-person team, founder Steve LeVine, plus design, prototyping and marketing, working out of our own prototyping studio.
How do I get updates before launch?+
Join the waitlist. We send build updates by email and post progress on social, no spam, and you can unsubscribe any time.