Robot Costume Design: The Evolution of Costumes for Mobile Entertainment Characters
As entertainment technology evolves, so does the role of the costume designer. For decades, characters were designed to perform from a fixed stage or within a stationary attraction. Today, mobile robotic characters are beginning to change that equation. When a character can move through a show, parade, meet-and-greet or immersive environment, the costume has to do more than create a visual identity — it has to work with the machine underneath it. In this article, I explore my first experience developing costume for a mobile robotic character and what this emerging technology may mean for the future of costume design, fabrication and entertainment.