ABB Robots In New Terminator Movie
By Canadian Packaging Staff
Automation ABB Robotics Robots Terminator Salvation
The visibility of ABB Robotics will reach an entirely new level on May 21, 2009 when Warner Brothers Studios releases the new Terminator Salvation movie to North American audiences. In addition to Christian Bale and the army of rival Terminators, 18 ABB robots will share starring roles in the fourth of the highly popular film franchise.
Appropriately cast in a versatile manufacturing role, 12 ABB IRB 6620s and 6 ABB IRB 1600s spent the summer of 2008 on the movie set in a converted power plant in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Through special effects, the robots are arranged in an almost endless manufacturing line of robots on the Terminator factory floor, mass producing a growing army of the Terminators.
Jaffe Entertainment, a product placement firm, had initially contacted ABB and other robotic manufacturers to investigate the possibility of using their robots and to review their individual product lines. Academy Award winning set director Victor Zolfo and production designer Martin Laing were most intrigued by ABB’s product offering, and began working with ABB Robotics vice-president of marketing Ted Wodoslawsky to work out the details and select the robot models that would best fit the role.
ABB field service engineer Erik Ryskamp, with periodic support from additional ABB technicians, spent 10 weeks during the summer of 2008 on set, installing, programming and operating the robots. An ABB IRC5 controller was provided with every robot to facilitate the precise programming required for the various scenes.
To see the ABB Robots in their starring role, plan on seeing Terminator Salvation this summer!
For more information on ABB–a leader in power and automation technologies, visit www.abb.com.
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