
Disney's newest robot is designed to bring characters to life on beaches.

The prongs on the rake can be controlled individually, allowing the lines the BeachBot draws to vary from two inches to 15 inches.

The robot's bulbous balloon wheels allow it to traverse the entire sandy canvas without leaving tire tracks.

The laser-based positioning system allows the BeachBot to draw accurately down to the millimeter.

Kids will recognize the design cue from the turtles in "Finding Nemo."

Like any good Disney project, a wide variety of themes were dreamed up -- like this "Cars"-themed casing.

The project was led by Paul Beardsley, a principal research scientist at Disney Research Zurich.

Text messages can be programmed into the robot.




