Disney Patent Filed for Occupant Sensing Robotic Controls
by: guide4wdw – Collin
In a not so surprising move, Disney has filed a new patent once again. Just recently, rumblings arrived across the internet about what is being termed a “System for controlling robotic characters to enhance photographic results.” Within the overall concept, this patent is designed for theme park use and essentially senses the occupant movements within a ride vehicle or other situation and responds accordingly to provide a better image capture for guests.
Overall, the concept is quite interesting, but I do believe there may be more to this concept that meets the eye. According to the idea, this patent filing will allow animatronics to sense what guests are doing and alter their behavior accordingly. Personally I think this idea combined with other fairly recent patents (which are supposed to track guest eye movement and emotional responses: Disney Patent Filing Describes “Emotion Sensing” Technology and Disney Awarded Patent for Tracking Guest Visual Movements) point to an interesting conclusion. These concepts appear as if Disney may be gearing up for a new and highly immersive guest experience in the not so distant future.
Of course, my thoughts are simply speculation, but I could easily see these concepts being combined to develop an insanely immersive environment for the new experiences which have been “teased” for Star Wars Land. Also, these could be a part of a much larger project or simply something they’re developing that may never be put into practice. At this point everything is simply speculation with the exception of the patent filing itself. Disney will likely never fully explain the use of this patent if it arrives in the parks and as usual, the mystery and magic behind the attractions will be strictly reserved for Imagineering’s understanding and simply our on-ride enjoyment.
Either way, this is a fairly interesting combination of ideas that really could transform the guest experience altogether. Who would have thought any of this would have been possible today 15-20 years ago! It’s amazing how far technology has come and as with anything Imagineering does, I’m sure they’re working on something that will blow our minds in the future. Thanks for reading and have a great rest of the day!
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