# Dynamic Creatures: The New Robotics Company Bringing Animated Characters to Life
**Two veterans of Boston Dynamics have founded a new startup aimed at transforming how robots appear in entertainment and hospitality environments.** The company, called Dynamic Creatures, is building a new category of advanced robotics focused on character-driven experiences for theme parks, casinos, cruise lines, hotels, and live events.
## Meet the Founders
Dynamic Creatures was co-founded by **Marc Theermann**, who previously served as chief strategy officer at Boston Dynamics, and **Farbod Farshidian**, a former research leader at the Robotics and AI Institute. The pair brings a rare blend of commercial strategy expertise and deep technical robotics knowledge to the venture.
The name “Dynamic Creatures” itself is a deliberate nod to the legacy of both Boston Dynamics and Jim Henson’s legendary Creature Shop, signaling the company’s ambition to merge cutting-edge robotic engineering with character-driven storytelling.
## Why Entertainment Robotics?
Theermann has spoken extensively about how years of watching robots perform in public settings sparked the idea for the company. During his time at Boston Dynamics, he and his colleagues frequently shared videos of robots dancing, performing stunts, and appearing in unusual environments. These videos generated enormous public interest and demonstrated something critical: people are naturally drawn to robots in entertaining contexts.
“We wanted to show these robots in these fun environments, just to make sure that people understand the capabilities of these robots in terms of their abilities to locomote,” Theermann explained. Over time, he recognized a genuine market opportunity in bringing robotic characters to life for guest-facing experiences.
Boston Dynamics itself has acknowledged the venture, with Interim CEO Amanda McMaster calling Dynamic Creatures “an important new frontier for advanced robotics.” The company is listed as Boston Dynamics’ official entertainment and hospitality partner, giving Dynamic Creatures access to proven robotic platforms and industry credibility.
## SnowJay: The Brain Behind the Characters
At the heart of Dynamic Creatures’ technology is **SnowJay**, an integrated AI and robotics platform that serves as the operating layer for the company’s robotic characters. The platform handles two core functions: enabling natural, lifelike movement and managing real-time human-robot interaction.
SnowJay leverages a combination of motion capture data, animation pipelines, NVIDIA-powered tools, and reinforcement learning to teach robots organic, fluid behaviors. The locomotion capabilities are largely driven by Farshidian, who played a key role in refining Atlas’s gait for its widely watched debut at CES 2026.
What sets SnowJay apart is its emphasis on interaction over pure manipulation. Theermann noted that most modern robotics efforts prioritize vision-based action models or dexterous manipulation — important fields, but not the company’s focus. Instead, Dynamic Creatures is laser-targeted on making robots better communicators and companions in human spaces.
“If you look at many robots out there, they’re deaf and mute. In order for robots to be accepted in restaurants and public spaces, they need to be better at human-robot interaction,” Theermann said.
## What Do the Characters Look Like?
Dynamic Creatures is currently building characters on top of third-party hardware, primarily Boston Dynamics’ **Spot** quadruped and **Atlas** humanoid platforms. The company’s technology stack is also compatible with **Unitree** robots, providing flexibility in hardware selection.
In-house, the team has developed two prototype characters so far. One is a **purple poodle named Danielle**, featured prominently in the company’s launch video. The other is a **Tyrolean mountain troll**, reminiscent of a Yeti — designed for immersive, fantasy-themed environments.
However, the company’s near-term strategy centers on partnering with IP holders. Theermann described the approach as clients coming to Dynamic Creatures with existing characters from movies, TV shows, or other media and asking, “Can you bring my IP to life in my theme park or for my red carpet event?”
## Backed by Strong Institutional Support
Dynamic Creatures has attracted backing from a mix of American and European institutional investors. The funding round includes **Eniac Ventures, Kindred Ventures, Heliad, Sunshine Lake, and BlueGrass Ventures**. Strategic angel investors include **Marc Raibert**, founder of Boston Dynamics and executive director of the RAI Institute, as well as **Lukas Ziegler**.
This investor base reflects confidence not only in the technology but in the growing demand for experiential robotics in hospitality and entertainment industries.
## From Pilots to Full Autonomy: The Roadmap
Dynamic Creatures plans an incremental deployment strategy. In the early phase, human operators will directly control the robots during customer-facing engagements. These “managed pilots” serve a dual purpose: delivering compelling guest experiences while collecting the interaction data needed to train and refine the SnowJay platform.
The company has already hired **puppeteers** to help explore what kinds of emotional expressions and reactions resonate with human audiences. Understanding what makes people laugh, smile, or engage is central to the company’s research goals over the next couple of years.
Theermann outlined a clear progression path: starting with assisted autonomy that combines teleoperation and independent behavior, moving toward telemonitoring, and eventually scaling so that a single operator can manage multiple robots simultaneously.
Safety and semantic navigation are highlighted as the company’s two major research priorities. Theermann pointed out that current humanoid robots in industrial settings are typically constrained behind light curtains that force them to stop when a human approaches. Dynamic Creatures envisions a future where robots can safely share space with people in close, interactive settings — even allowing someone to hug a robot without triggering a safety shutdown.
The company hopes to roll out its first customer deployments in early 2027, beginning with a blend of human-guided and autonomous operation.
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## Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
**Q: What is Dynamic Creatures?**
A: Dynamic Creatures is a robotics startup co-founded by former Boston Dynamics executives, focused on creating robotic characters for entertainment, hospitality, and live event environments.
**Q: Who are the co-founders?**
A: The company was co-founded by Marc Theermann, the CEO and former chief strategy officer at Boston Dynamics, and Farbod Farshidian, the CTO and former research leader at the Robotics and AI Institute.
**Q: What is SnowJay?**
A: SnowJay is Dynamic Creatures’ proprietary AI and robotics platform that powers the company’s robotic characters. It manages natural locomotion and real-time human-robot interaction using motion capture, animation, and reinforcement learning.
**Q: What kind of robots does Dynamic Creatures use?**
A: Currently, the company builds on third-party hardware including Boston Dynamics’ Spot and Atlas, as well as Unitree robots. The company has stated ambitions to develop its own humanoid hardware in the future.
**Q: Where will these robots be deployed?**
A: Initial targets include theme parks, casinos, cruise ships, hotels, and live events. The company plans to work with IP holders to bring recognizable characters to these environments.
**Q: When will Dynamic Creatures launch its first customer deployments?**
A: The company aims for early 2027, starting with managed pilot programs that combine teleoperation with varying levels of autonomy.
**Q: How is the company funded?**
A: Dynamic Creatures has secured investment from U.S. and European institutional investors including Eniac Ventures, Kindred Ventures, Heliad, Sunshine Lake, and BlueGrass Ventures, along with strategic angel investors such as Marc Raibert and Lukas Ziegler.
**Q: What is the company’s relationship with Boston Dynamics?**
A: Dynamic Creatures is Boston Dynamics’ official entertainment and hospitality partner. Boston Dynamics’ Interim CEO Amanda McMaster has publicly endorsed the venture.
**Q: What makes Dynamic Creatures different from other robotics companies?**
A: While many robotics companies focus on industrial automation or dexterous manipulation, Dynamic Creatures is specifically targeting human-robot interaction and character-driven entertainment experiences as its core market.
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## Conclusion
Dynamic Creatures represents an exciting new chapter in the evolution of advanced robotics. By pairing Boston Dynamics alumni with a clear vision for character-driven automation, the company is positioned at the intersection of entertainment, hospitality, and robotics in a way that few competitors can match. The SnowJay platform, the focus on human-robot interaction, and the carefully staged path from managed pilots to full autonomy all suggest a company that is thinking not just about what robots can do, but about how they make people feel.
As the entertainment and hospitality industries continue to seek novel ways to engage audiences, Dynamic Creatures’ ability to bring beloved characters to life through advanced robotics could define an entirely new market category. With strong backing, deep technical talent, and a clear roadmap, the company is well worth watching in the years ahead.
Thank you for reading.
