Themed Entertainment & Animatronics
Mechanical engineering is the backbone of every figure that moves, every exhibit that reacts, and every environment that immerses. Schimmel Engineering brings professional engineering discipline to themed entertainment — from actuator sizing and SolidWorks motion analysis through PLC show programming and global field support. We've seen projects from the first sketch to the thousandth show.
Big Foot Head Final Assembly
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Engineering That Brings Characters to Life
Full Lifecycle. Every Discipline. Concept Through Tour.
Themed entertainment demands the ability to work fluently across structural steel, precision motion control, sculptural organic geometry, and creative direction — simultaneously, under budget, and on a deadline. Schimmel Engineering has operated at that intersection across multiple continents and multiple figures.
Our experience spans the full lifecycle — from the first approximation in SolidWorks Motion Analysis to tuning a PID loop on a live touring figure, to writing the service documentation that keeps it running five years after installation. We don't just design figures. We've programmed them, installed them, supported them in the field, and watched them fail so we could understand why.
Want to see all of Big Foot Bob? View the full EASM — transparent shells, full mechanism →
What Can Schimmel Engineering Do for Your Themed Entertainment Project?
Our involvement adapts to your project's needs — from full-scope lead mechanical engineering to targeted consulting on a specific discipline.
01 — Animatronic Figure Mechanism Design
Full mechanical design of animatronic figure armatures — structural steel weldments, precision servo mounts, actuator clevises, and joint hardware — all in SolidWorks. Structural profiles are coordinated directly with sculptural organic elements. Complete manufacturing drawings for domestic and overseas fabrication, with digital fit checks against sculptural geometry before a single part is cut.
02 — Show Programming & Motion Control
Schimmel Engineering worked directly with the controls and PLC programming team to mechanically approve accelerations and speeds on new animation profiles before being loaded and ran on figures at full speed. This interface role required deep mechanical fluency — understanding duty cycle limits, winding heat soak, acceleration ramp constraints, and structural compliance — to ensure that what the controls team programmed was safe for the figure to perform night after night.
03 — Actuator & Drive System Engineering
Actuator selection and sizing using SolidWorks Motion Analysis — modeled from Maya animation files and weighted subassembly approximations. We target 1,000,000+ cycle life, accounting for gravity loading, duty cycle, and winding heat soak. Pneumatic air springs added to gravity-affected axes offload static holding from electric actuators, reserving capacity for dynamic motion.
04 — Shell, Figure Finish & Character Head Design
Industrial design and engineering of 3D printed shells, access hatches, and skin integration structures — including full character head design for figures ranging from animatronic Sasquatches to on-ice show characters. We coordinate mechanical attachment points with sculptors and skin fabricators, minimizing mold costs through strategic additive manufacturing while preserving the organic surface quality that makes characters believable at close range. Cast silicone skins, fur work, and fiberglass all considered from the start of mechanical design.
05 — Interactive Exhibits & Scenic Elements
Mechanical design for guest-interactive exhibits, scenic architectural elements, and immersive environments. Our experience includes low-frequency linear transducer integration, urethane rubber vibration isolation, and fully serviceable and renewable design for installations under continuous public load. We've contributed scenic elements for museum renovations — including architectural components for the International Tennis Hall of Fame — where structural engineering must serve a creative vision invisibly.
06 — Touring & Field Support
Engineering for figures that must be torn down, shipped, and reinstalled — repeatedly, by crews who weren't present during design. We design for that reality: hand-carry accessible components, labeled connectors, standardized fasteners, and comprehensive service documentation. We've supported field crews running simultaneous worldwide tours and witnessed firsthand what happens when figures are pushed beyond design intent.
Themed Entertainment Projects from the Schimmel Engineering Portfolio
Each project below represents direct, hands-on engineering responsibility — not consulting from a distance.
Animax Designs · Lead Mechanical Engineer
Electrically Actuated Animatronic Dinosaur — 35,000 lb / 17 Axes
Full-scope mechanical design and show programming on a globally touring animatronic figure. Electric linear actuators, harmonic drives, Beckhoff PLC, SMPTE timecode, SolidWorks Motion Analysis, and 4 years from concept to stage.
View Project →
Animatronic Figure · Mechanism & Shell Design · IAAPA 2024
Big Foot Bob — 8-Foot, 5-Axis Animatronic Sasquatch
Head mechanism and shell design for an 8-foot animatronic Sasquatch shown at IAAPA 2024. Hitec servos, lead screw linear actuators, 3D printed shells with cast silicone skins. Available to order from Axtell Expressions.
View Project →
Interactive Exhibit · Empire State Building
Empire State Building Ape Hands — Interactive Vibrating Exhibit
Mechanical design for guest-interactive animatronic hands installed in the Empire State Building. Low-frequency linear transducers, urethane rubber vibration isolation from structure, fully serviceable and renewable design for continuous public operation.
View Project →
Themed Environment · Newport, Rhode Island
International Tennis Hall of Fame — Museum Renovation
Part of the collaborative team behind a multi-million dollar transformation of 13,000+ sq ft of gallery space in Newport, Rhode Island. Architectural element creation supporting immersive exhibit design for a world-class sports museum.
View Project →Themed Entertainment Engineering — Frequently Asked Questions
Can Schimmel Engineering design figures for touring or mobile deployments?
Yes. The 35,000 lb animatronic dinosaur was specifically engineered to tour — fitting inside a 40ft shipping container and supporting teardown and reinstallation at multiple global venues. Power requirements for touring figures vary widely; we design for the full range from 110V single phase through 480V 3-phase, as well as high and low voltage battery systems for deployments where venue power is unavailable or impractical. Portable, durable, and serviceable design is a core consideration from the start of any touring figure project.
Does Schimmel Engineering work with sculptors, artists, and creative teams?
Yes — it's one of the most rewarding aspects of this work. We've collaborated directly with industrial designers, sculptors, animators, electricians, controls engineers, and art directors. Our experience integrating sculptural organic elements to structural steel profiles and coordinating with Maya-based riggers gives us genuine fluency in cross-discipline creative workflows. We understand how sculptors and animators think, and that understanding shapes how we design.
Why does themed entertainment and mechanical engineering go hand in hand?
Every figure that moves, every surface that reacts, every exhibit that guests interact with has a mechanical system underneath it. Getting that system right — sized correctly, tuned properly, designed to survive thousands of performances — is the difference between a figure that amazes and one that's constantly in for repair. Mechanical engineering done right is invisible. Done wrong, it's all anyone talks about.
Have a Figure That Needs to Move?
Tell us about your project — the creative vision, the scale, and the timeline. We'll tell you what the engineering path forward looks like.