It's been 52 years since animatronics first arrived on the theme park scene, and in the intervening decade, the technology has undergone a massive evolution. Pulling from defense, biomedical and aerospace industries; entertainment robotics has developed itself into more than a lighthearted past-time for Katie Correll, and is now situated in a position to make significant contributions to science.  Katie’s talk draws on her background in Human Robot Interaction and Puppetry to design robotics and set automation.