Animax Designs launches new Innovation Lab
Following a strategic rebrand and a period of rapid growth, Animax Designs has created a new R&D department that will develop animatronics solutions for the industry. A secondary focus is to aid Animax’s internal project teams in the creation of new technology and processes so that individual project schedules and budgets are not burdened.
The Innovation Lab’s initial focus will be on electromechanical actuators, which Gosnell and Fawcett feel present the biggest design and engineering opportunity in animatronics. The team will assess past and present solutions, as well as what they envision for the future. As Fawcett explained, “by combining new and existing technologies in such areas as advanced materials, media, light, and robotics, we can create fantastical ways of engineering characters that continually enhance the guest experience.”
In other Animax Designs news, the company recently appointed Jay Rottinghaus to its newly-created position of Vice President, Strategy and Business Development. Rottinghaus brings over 20 years of brand activation, business development, strategic planning, and experiential design experience to the 29-year-old company.
In just the past two years, Animax Designs has grown from 35 to over 130 employees and has moved from a 22,000 sf to an 80,000 sf, state-of-the-art facility.
