Why Top T.I.E.R.?
Top T.I.E.R. stands for Themed Interactive Entertainment Robotics.
Our name reflects what we are exploring: the intersection of robotics, storytelling, performance, and themed entertainment.
We are a six-person ETC project team interested in what happens when technology becomes part of a fictional world rather than simply supporting it. For us, the robot is not just a technical system to program or a prop for guests to interact with. It is a character – with a personality, a role, and a place within the story.
Top T.I.E.R. represents:
- The intersection of robotics and themed entertainment
- Our six-person team
- Character-driven interactive experiences
- The use of technology in service of storytelling
What We Explore
Creating a convincing character through robotics requires more than making a robot move. It requires bringing together many different forms of creative and technical work.
Our team works across experience design, narrative, character design, performance, environment design, fabrication, and robotics. Each area contributes to the same question: How can technology help create a character that feels present and believable within an immersive world?
This means thinking about how a character looks, moves, speaks, reacts, and interacts with guests. It also means considering the environment around the character — from the physical space and props to lighting, sound, costume, and storytelling.
Our Approach
We approach Top T.I.E.R. as an ongoing process of experimentation and iteration. Rather than assuming we already know what makes a robotic character successful, we use playtesting, prototyping, performance, and technical experimentation to discover what works.
The project brings together different disciplines and perspectives, with each team member contributing to both the creative and technical challenges of building the experience.
To create an immersive experience that meaningfully integrates robotics, the team is working across several areas of experience development. This includes designing and building an Old West environment within an ETC project room, incorporating props, lighting, sound, and other elements to establish the setting and atmosphere.
The team is also developing the narrative and overall experience design, creating a distinct personality and character for the humanoid robot, and designing a costume that helps bring the character to life. On the technical side, the team is integrating the robot’s movements and programming its behaviors and interactions with players.
By bringing together experience design, storytelling, environment building, performance, and robotics, Team Top T.I.E.R. aims to create an engaging experience where the robot is not simply a piece of technology, but an active character within the world.