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Spoiler Alert: The SECRET Behind How We Could Get REAL Jedi Powers at a New Disney Attraction!

Of all the upcoming Disney World updates, we’re pretty excited to see what Disney does with the Star Wars Hotel.

Spoiler Alert: The SECRET Behind How We Could Get REAL Jedi Powers at a New Disney Attraction!

Star Wars Lightsaber Experience

The Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser is set to be a 2-night ultra-immersive experience that opens in 2021. Aboard, you’ll be able to look out windows into space, operate the ship’s defense systems, and offer guests the chance to wield their own lightsaber. Woah! That lightsaber experience sounds pretty cool and, before today, we weren’t sure how we could ACTUALLY wield a lightsaber. Now though, Disney might have developed some tech that could help!

If you’ve hung around DFB before, you might know that we love to look into the patents that Disney is filing for their newest inventions. Well, we spotted one patent that has some pretty interesting language — some language that might be an EXACT description of part of Galactic Starcruiser’s lightsaber experience or a similar experience elsewhere in the Disney Parks!

The patent is for a new system that helps to bridge the gap between virtual reality (VR) experiences and the outside world. We’ve imagined that VR could be a good solution for bringing lightsabers to this reality and this patent seems to indicate that that’s EXACTLY what Disney intends to do. Fair warning! These details are pretty on-the-nose, so if you don’t want spoilers about a possible lightsaber experience, click away now!

Spoiler Alert: The SECRET Behind How We Could Get REAL Jedi Powers at a New Disney Attraction!

Sabers assembled!

Here are the pieces of the patent that could be describing a lightsaber experience. It says, “a VR user is instructed that…a tool or weapon (such as an energy sword or saber that is the physical object in this example) will be made available for their use. In the VR world, they will use their superpower of telekinesis to concentrate on moving the tool/weapon, and, when they concentrate with enough energy, the tool/weapon will fly through the air and land…in their hand.”

Spoiler Alert: The SECRET Behind How We Could Get REAL Jedi Powers at a New Disney Attraction!

A robot moves the lightsaber handle into your hand as if it is flying through the air. ©Disney

HOLD UP. Energy sword or saber? Telekinesis? Disney…did you mean to say “LIGHTSABERS” and “THE FORCE!?” It sure sounds like Disney has come up with a way for us to use the force to summon a lightsaber to our hands. Needless to say, we are freaking out.

The patent goes into even more detail saying, “The user is…asked to stretch out their hand to see whether they can cause the object to leap into their hand from a distance away… The user is asked to move their hand back and forth slowly to see whether they can attract the physical object… When the user moves their hand…the object holder rocks the physical object back and forth. The rocking strength is varied by the control system from barely moving to rocking back and forth violently as if trying to fly depending on how close the user’s hand is to the future ideal interaction position in the later VR experience.”

Spoiler Alert: The SECRET Behind How We Could Get REAL Jedi Powers at a New Disney Attraction!

Imagine the sparkly object is a lightsaber handle. ©Disney

This is super interesting. Basically, the patent says that, prior to putting on any sort of helmet, you’ll be tasked with bringing the lightsaber to your hand with the Force. Of course, we’re first-time force users, so we won’t be immediately successful.

But, this “pre-show” as the patent calls it has two important effects. First, it “trains” the user where their hand should be for later in the experience (without the user knowing), and it helps with the story as the user feels like they’ve really accessed the Force. But the lightsaber can’t come flying into your hand just yet.

Spoiler Alert: The SECRET Behind How We Could Get REAL Jedi Powers at a New Disney Attraction!

Trying out hilt parts

The patent continues, “After the user has tried unsuccessfully to pull the physical object to them without the [Head-Mounted Display] on, they are advised that their powers will be increased by dawning the [Head-Mounted Display] helmet, which may be disguised as a helmet from a particular movie or animation to fit the VR experience and/or otherwise themed to enhance the overall experience.”

Hmm…how could they theme the helmet, do you think? We have an idea. In Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Luke uses a blast shield helmet to help him see through The Force. Another training helmet is used with Jedi Younglings in Star Wars: Attack of the Clones. So there’s even in-universe precedent for a themed lightsaber-training helmet.

Spoiler Alert: The SECRET Behind How We Could Get REAL Jedi Powers at a New Disney Attraction!

©Lucasfilm/Disney

The patent goes on in less detail about how the system can be configured for sword fighting, “In some cases, the handover robot (or other robot with an object manipulator) may be controlled not to simply provide an object but to provide other physical interactions with the participant such as a sword or other fight in which a physical object strikes or contacts the participant’s body or an object they are already holding.”

Spoiler Alert: The SECRET Behind How We Could Get REAL Jedi Powers at a New Disney Attraction!

VR view of the lightsaber fighting portion. ©Disney

Um…WOW. Did Disney REALLY just come up with a way to give us Jedi powers!? We’re honestly freaking out. Obviously, we won’t have any idea how this tech will be used until we see it applied in Galactic Starcruiser or elsewhere. In the meantime, we’ll be keeping an EXTRA close eye on those Disney patents and crossing our fingers that we’ll be using the force next year!

Do YOU think this tech is for the lightsaber experience? Share your thoughts in the comments!

From our friends at www.disneyfoodblog.com
Filed Under: Disney News, Featured, Galactic Starcruiser, Walt Disney World, Disney Invention, Disney Patent, Disney Tech, disney vr, galactic starcruiser, Star Wars hotel

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Disney Business Disney News Disney Parks Other

Creepy or Very Cool? Disney Just Filed a Patent for More Realistic and Advanced Skin for Robots and Animatronics!

Disney is always working on some crazy new tech, and WE’RE always looking out for their newest innovations!

Hondo Ohnaka

Imagineers have been doing a lot of work on tech for the parks and a LOT of that has to do with robotics. Disney is at the forefront of animatronic and entertainment robotics engineering, so they come up with crazy new inventions ALL THE TIME. Recently, we’ve spotted a realistic robot handshake and a patent for an autonomous park-roaming robot. Today, we spotted a NEW patent and this one focuses on a robot’s…skin? You read that right! Take a look!

Disney cranks out patents like nobodies business, but they don’t all apply to the parks. Sometimes they’re coming up with a neat consumer product or a new way to innovate in the film industry. Today though, we spotted a patent for a “Robotics Skin System with Integral Elastomeric Links to Complete Mechanical Linkages.”

©Disney

Now we know what you’re thinking: “What the HECK does that mean???” Essentially, Disney has developed a new skin (yes, like people skin) for their animatronics and robots. The “new” aspect is that this skin system can be used to connect moving parts of the robot instead of with a frame and joints underneath. The best way to visualize this is to think of a robotic octopus tentacle that has no mechanical bones.

©Disney

We apologize for the following illustration because it IS horrifying, but it’s a pretty good explanation of how this tech could be used. In a humanoid robot, the skin system could be used as a face made of latex (or similar material) with stiffened areas to connect to the motorized and robotic aspects, rather than the more traditional “robot skeleton” with a rubber skin stretched over it.

©Disney

We’re not sure if that’s cool or creepy, but we are leaning towards the cool side. This is definitely the kind of tech that Disney could apply with new animatronics in their theme parks so it will be interesting to see what sort of bots are developed in the coming years!

We’ll be keeping a close eye on new Disney tech, so follow along with us to make sure you know all about the new innovations!

What do you think of this amazing new tech? Tell us in the comments! 

From our friends at www.disneyfoodblog.com
Filed Under: Disney News, disney parks, Featured, News, Animatronics, Audio-Animatronics, Disney innovation, Disney Patent, Disney Tech, Imagineering, Robot skin

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Disney Parks Other

5 Disney Rides That Were GAME-CHANGERS For Theme Parks Around The World!

If you’ve been to a Disney park in the last few years, you know that the technology is getting pretty crazy!

Rise of the Resistance

From the super-realistic experience on Flight of Passage to the TOTAL immersion of Rise of the Resistance, Disney really likes to push the envelope of theme park technology. And this is nothing new!

Disney has been developing tech that would pave the way for theme parks since the early years of Disneyland. We’re taking a look at five of Disney’s BIGGEST technological achievements that laid the foundation for the rides of today!

1. Matterhorn Bobsleds

Yes! Even a ride from way back in 1959 could be revolutionary for the technology of the time. According to the Encyclopaedia Britannica, Matterhorn Bobsleds in Disneyland is considered to be the first-known tubular steel continuous track roller coaster!

Matterhorn Bobsleds

Tubular Steel was a new innovation for roller coasters. Traditionally, coasters used wooden rails with steel mounted on top. Tubular steel can be bent in any direction allowing designers to create loops, corkscrews, and more! Nowadays, most roller coasters are made of this type of steel, even if wood is still utilized. And it all started with the Matterhorn Bobsleds. Pretty neat, huh?

2. The Enchanted Tiki Room

Next up, we’ve got another totally iconic Disneyland attraction (that’s made its way to Disney World, too!). The Enchanted Tiki Room opened in Disneyland in 1963 as the first ride to incorporate audio-animatronics. Yeah, that’s a pretty big deal.

Enchanted Tiki Room at Disneyland

Per The Imagineering Story, these little robot birds were totally revolutionary and paved the way for attractions like Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln and everything to come — all the way up to the hyper-realistic animatronics of Rise of the Resistance.

The Enchanted Tiki Room was also the very first fully air-conditioned building in Disneyland, but not for the reason you’d think! The building had to be cooled because computers played a central role in the attractions and the giant 1960s computers produced a lot of heat and had to be cooled to work properly!

Souvenir Tiki Bowl at The Tiki Room!

The attraction also helped to establish the precedent of Imagineering ingenuity. The birds’ chests are covered in custom-woven cashmere that helps them to “breathe.” Imagineer at the time, Harriet Burns, noticed the way that Walt’s cashmere sweater moved in a similar way to how they wanted the breathing to look. Thus, cashmere was chosen!

3. “it’s a small world!”

“it’s a small world!” opened in Disneyland a few years later in 1966 after a successful run at the 1964 World’s Fair. Disney Imagineer Mary Blair created the whimsical, stylistic approach for the attraction.

You might be wondering how a simple boat ride could be so revolutionary, but “it’s a small world” isn’t so simple, especially for the time. The attraction was the first to feature propulsion on a boat ride!

it’s a small world in Disneyland

Carnivals had been featuring boat ride attractions for years prior, but none of them could stop and start during the attraction. “it’s a small world!” changed that. The more controlled experience that this produced would be the foundation for years to come. And we still see this tech in use today! Pirates of the Caribbean, Frozen Ever After, and even Na’vi River Journey all are the rides they are today due to the success and innovation of “it’s a small world.”

4. Adventure Thru Inner Space

Now for the only attraction on our list that doesn’t exist anymore! Adventure Thru Inner Space was a popular attraction that debuted in Disneyland’s Tomorrowland in 1967. What was so special about this ride you ask? It introduced the Disney Omnimover!

©D23

If you’ve been on a number of Disney rides, you’re already very familiar with the Omnimover. It’s used in attractions like Spaceship Earth, Haunted Mansion, Under the Sea — Journey of the Little Mermaid, Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters, and The Seas with Nemo and Friends.

Omnimovers in Action on Spaceship Earth

According to The Disneyland Encylopedia by Chris Strodder, an Omnimover had been created before this point, but Disney’s version (developed by Roger E. Broggie and Bert Brundage) allowed the ride vehicles to rotate. This meant that the ride experience could have a more cinematic feel as the vehicle controlled the line of sight.

5. Pooh’s Hunny Hunt

Jump forward in time! The next BIG tech revolution from Disney came in the form of Pooh’s Hunny Hunt in 2000. This ride was introduced in Tokyo Disneyland as the first example of trackless dark ride technology. YES. The tech we’re JUST NOW getting in Disney World on Rise of the Resistance and Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway has been around for twenty years! It didn’t arrive in the domestic parks at all until the debut of Luigi’s Rollickin’ Roadsters in Disney California Adventure’s Cars Land in 2016.

Winnie the Pooh

Previously, trackless rides used a dedicated wire embedded in the floor, but Pooh’s Hunny Hunt is controlled by an array of sensors (you can see the patent for the tech here!). That’s how the different pots can interact and maneuver around one another in a little dance! Since there aren’t any limits on the ride vehicles, each ride on the attraction is different!

Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure ©Disney

Without the tech developed for Pooh’s Hunny Hunt, we wouldn’t have the tech for Rise of the Resistance, Runaway Railway, Luigi’s Rollickin’ Roadsters, or the upcoming Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure. Pretty crazy to think about!

There you have it! These Disney attractions SERIOUSLY changed the world of theme park technology. And this just scratches the surface of the ways Disney has revolutionized the world of theme park attractions. Disney, and other theme parks around the world, wouldn’t be the way it is today without these OG innovations.

Which of these tech feats do YOU think is the most impressive? Tell us in the comments!

From our friends at www.disneyfoodblog.com
Filed Under: disney california adventure, disney parks, Disneyland, Featured, News, Tokyo Disneyland, Adventure Thru Inner Space, Disney Tech, disney technology, Doom Buggy, harriet burns, It’s A Small World, Mary Blair, matterhorn bobsleds, Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway, omnimover, Pooh’s Hunny Hunt, Rise of the Resistance, Soarin’ Over California, steel tubular track, the enchanted tiki room