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Ahead of his time Mail Tribune / Roy Musitelli Shawn Kozak, owner of Moonlite Studio in Phoenix, is developing robotic dinosaurs for museum use. The head of this Thescelosaurus is covered with silicon rubber over Styrofoam to create a lifelike animation and feel. Phoenix artist takes first steps toward building a better dinosaur A Rogue Valley fossil hunter helped prove dinosaurs have a heart. Now a recently arrived model-maker hopes to prove robotic dinosaurs have a place in the hearts of museum directors. Shawn Kozak has taken the first steps toward building and leasing robotic dinosaurs for traveling exhibitions in museums. "When people go to museums they want to see something new," said Kozak, who relocated his company, Moonlite Studio, to Phoenix in 2001. "Certain museums may have a skeleton they'd like to see brought to life." Kozak makes a variety of natural science models for educational use and display and also replicates fossil discoveries. He previously built robotic Tyrannosaurus rex displays at Universal Studio Tours in California, Florida and Japan. Following up on the work of Ruch fossil hunter Mike Hammer, Kozak has constructed the prototype of a moving Thescelosaurus head and neck in his garage. Hammer supplied castings of the Thescelosaurus from a complete fossil he and his son discovered in South Dakota. A plant-eating dinosaur, Thescelosaurus lived during the Cretaceous period 77 to 65 million years ago. It was 13 feet long, had a small skull, a bulky body and may have been warm-blooded. Hammer and Ashland physician Andy Kuzmitz made science headlines in 2000 when they showed that an object found within the animal was a heart - the first dinosaur heart ever discovered. Kozak was delighted to find that dinosaur enthusiasts like Hammer and Kuzmitz reside in the valley. "I'm reproducing stuff that I didn't have access to before," he said. Kozak and Kuzmitz will collaborate on displays for the Science Center of Southern Oregon, which will open in the former Pacific Northwest Natural History Museum in Ashland later this year. "I'm really looking forward to working with him," said John Javna, head of the center's exhibit committee. "He's an example of the amazing talents that we have in this community and the enormous amount of experience that people bring to the valley and the science center." A variety of motions controlled by air-powered pistons are incorporated in Kozak's robotic Thescelosaurus. Bladders placed under its skin will display subcutaneous movements like those that occur during chewing. The animal's mouth will open and its eyelids may move. Getting smooth motions is one of the biggest challenges. Kozak said some dinosaur replicas lose their effectiveness because of jerky movements and sudden stops. Kozak uses fossil castings or actual fossils to create his replicas. He uses skulls of contemporary creatures for his science models, except for the model of a human head with cutaways to reveal the brain and muscle structure. A friend volunteered to have a cast of his head, without cutaways, made for the model that sells for $220. Replicas created for use in schools are currently the backbone of Moonlite's business. A $23 capuchin monkey skull has been the best seller. Kozak estimates he sells between 100 to 150 of the skulls per year. A coyote skull is $32, a cat skull $23 and a howler monkey skull goes for $45. A discount is offered for volume purchases. A Hadrosaur's egg with fetus inside has been popular with grade school teachers. The egg and fetus is made of a soft material that children can squeeze. "A teacher in a classroom can just toss it out (to students)," said Kozak. Private collectors can purchase two-foot long replicas of Nanotyranus skulls mounted on wood bases for wall hanging. A dentist purchased one for his office. The collector gets a side half of the skull for $245. "Folks generally don't have room for a full-sized dinosaur head," said Kozak. Robot dinosaurs built by Kozak will be a maximum of 15 feet long and 6 feet high to allow for convenient handling and transportation. "The majority of dinosaurs were about that size," said Kozak. "Big dinosaurs are rare." He plans to lease the animals because many museums now feature changing exhibits. The animals' motion systems will also require maintenance that purchasers may not be prepared to perform. Kozak's work on robotics and modeling began after he submitted a portfolio of his sculpture and art work to a Los Angeles special effects firm in 1996. He spent much of the next four years on the Universal Studio Jurassic Park T-Rex projects. He started Moonlite in 2000 in Los Angeles. "We're as busy, if not busier, as we were down there," said Kozak. His fiancee, painter Lisa Ackerman, is the only other worker in the business. She recently sculpted a dinosaur egg with fetus. Moonlite Studio could expand to employ 10 to 15 workers, Kozak said. He's looking for a partner to help develop the firm. A dinosaur fan since he was a kid, Kozak still has some of the toy animals of his youth. He plans to create a robotic model from one of them because it's large body structure would be a perfect place to put mechanisms required to give the animal lifelike movement. Reach Ashland bureau reporter Tony Boom at 482-4651, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.