Animatronic commissioning & systems
Over 35 years commissioning, running and troubleshooting animatronic systems for arena tours, touring exhibitions and live productions — from bench testing through to operational sign-off and years of daily show readiness.
What I deliver
Pre-show verification, bench testing, on-site commissioning and operational sign-off for animatronic systems, plus the preventative maintenance regimes that keep them reliable across seven-day-a-week operation and a venue move every week.
- Animatronic commissioning — pre-show verification, bench testing, on-site commissioning and sign-off
- Hydraulic and servo systems — mechanical reliability, inspection and preventative maintenance
- PID control loops — motion control tuning and diagnosis on full-size creature systems
- Animatronic show control — Alcorn McBride, Medialon, Beckhoff, CANbus, DMX, MIDI and proprietary architectures
- Operator and puppeteer training — consistent performance standards at every venue
- Remote diagnostics — same-day response on animatronic system faults
Productions
Head of Creatures and Head of Controls on Walking With Dinosaurs (Global Creatures, 2007–2019), Head of Creatures on King Kong Live (2013–2014), Head of Show Control and Head of Creatures on How To Train Your Dragon (DreamWorks / Global Creatures, 2011–2014), and Technical Supervisor Worldwide on Jurassic World: The Exhibition (Victory Hill / Cityneon, 2019–2021).
Walking With Dinosaurs ran full-size wireless animatronic dinosaurs on custom hydraulic and servo systems with PID loop control, BlackTrax live tracking, DMX, MIDI, Ethernet and CANbus — up to 12 shows a week. The case studies cover both in detail.
Start an
engagement
Send a brief description of the production, the system and the problem. I respond within one business day, and urgent show-stopping issues are prioritised.