[SOLVED] animatronics mechanical design books/tutorial?

any recommendations? i figured it is similar to robotics but the way the mechanical system imitates real-life awes me. is there any books that specifically teach on designing such mechanical system? i found most tutorial do not teach the fundamental design concept.

current level: i can built simple line-following robot but often baffled at the mechanism on extension, pulley and actuators system, etc like in Robocon. i wonder where to start learning since all the this time, i only copied the other

Not that I know anything about animatronics, but it's got to be very complicated.
I imagine movement is done with a servo when the limb is lightweight. There are light duty servos, and heavy duty type. Servos require a specific pulse length in order to position them.

Or a motor with gearing. Probably switches positioned at the extremes of the range of motion, to turn off power to the motor.

For a heavy limb, a counterweight can reduce the amount of electrical power needed to move it.

See if you can find a historical account about Disney animatronics, and how they do it. Computers make programming easier, I'm sure.

Or various tv programs (Nova episodes, etc.) about robotics, and how to make machines act more human. As to their walk, facial expressions, etc.
These might be available for you to view on the internet.