The producers of the wonderful BBC Earth and PBS animatronic wild animal series Spy in the Wild have released a fascinating video that reveals the amazing technology that lives under the skin of these incredibly realistic creatures, each of which was created by designer John Nolan.
Beneath the skin is a miracle of animatronic engineering. A skeleton of articulated metal limbs controlled by sophisticated electronics and servos. The moves of the different creatures real-life counterparts are programmed and tested. Each one takes months to design and build.
Nolan spoke with the PBS “Inside Nature” podcast about how he designs the spies.