Disney Imagineering Showcases Incredible ‘HoloTile Floor’ Which Could Change VR & Theme Park Experiences Forever

Posted on by Mathew Corn Disney Parks

Walt Disney Imagineering has revealed an exciting new piece of technology called the “HoloTile floor” in a video celebrating Disney Research Fellow and Imagineer Lanny Smoot’s induction into the National Inventors Hall of Fame.

In the video, Smoot gives a quick demonstration of the new tech. The floor is made up of small circular pieces that shift and rotate as the user walks upon it, allowing for omnidirectional movement.

Smoot’s induction into the National Inventors Hall of Fame marks the second person from The Walt Disney Company to receive the prestigious honor, with the first being Walt Disney himself.

Two users walk around on the HoloTile floor.

According to Smoot, the HoloTile will automatically adjust in order to keep the user on the floor, and can even accommodate multiple people independently.

Two users demonstrate the HoloTile floor with a possible maze featuring BB-8.

The floor can be used to traverse through virtual reality (VR) spaces, allow users (and potentially guests) to move around in the same space collaboratively, and Smoot also suggests its use in theatrical productions for dancers onstage. In one section of the video, Smoot and another user are walking on the HoloTile floor to get BB-8 from the “Star Wars” sequels through what appears to be a maze, with both on-screen visuals and projections on the tile.

A person potentially uses "The Force" to move a box on a section of HoloTile floor.

Another short clip shows someone who, to us, appears to be using “The Force” to move a box around the section of HoloTile.

Ultimately, Smoot says that while there are “so many applications for this type of technology,” Walt Disney Imagineering doesn’t know yet where it will be used.

Smoot sits on a chair as he is moved with "The Force" on the HoloTile Floor.

It gives me an amazing opportunity to use these inventions that I’ve made in service of people having fun.Lanny Smoot, Disney Research Fellow and Walt Disney Imagineer

See this exciting new technology in action in the video below:

Walt Disney Imagineer Lanny Smoot Receives 100th US Patent

Posted on by Mathew Corn Uncategorized

Walt Disney Imagineering is known for innovation, but Imagineer Lanny Smoot has reached a milestone never before reached by any other in the company with the issuing of his 100th US patent.

From Disney Parks Blog:

We are excited to report that longtime Walt Disney Imagineering Research & Development Imagineer and Disney Research Fellow Lanny Smoot just received his 100th career patent from the US Patent and Trademark Office – a first for anyone at The Walt Disney Company.  His 100th patent (number 11,080,779 – “Systems and Methods of Presenting a Multi-Media Entertainment in a Venue”) was issued earlier today. This is a milestone not often achieved by many inventors and makes Lanny one of the most prolific Black inventors in American history, based on patents issued, according to Disney patent attorney Stuart Langley.

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Lanny has spent 42 years as a theatrical technology creator, inventor, electrical engineer, scientist, and researcher — with 22 of those years at The Walt Disney Company. He has invented and patented many forward-looking technologies that allow The Walt Disney Company and, ultimately, the theatrical community at large to create new magic, illusions, and entertainment.

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Seventy-four of Lanny’s patents were from his research and inventions at Disney. Some of Lanny’s favorite patents while working for Disney include such things as past projects like Kim Possible World Showcase Adventure and “Where’s the Fire?” at Innoventions, both formerly at EPCOT; current projects including many of the special effects guests love in the Haunted Mansion, the lightsabers used in Star Wars Launch Bay, the virtual and interactive koi ponds at the Crystal Lotus Restaurant at Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel, the Fortress Explorations interactive adventure at Tokyo DisneySea, and “Power City” at Project Tomorrow in the post-show area for Spaceship Earth; and upcoming projects like the new state-of-the-art lightsaber and the lightsaber training experience, both of which will be a part of the Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser multi-day experience coming in spring 2022 to Walt Disney World Resort. In addition, many of Lanny’s inventions haven’t yet found a home in Disney parks and resorts, including patents for new ride systems and 3D displays where you don’t need to wear 3D glasses.

Additionally, he is the recipient of many awards and honors, including three Thea Awards from the Themed Entertainment Association (Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage at Disneyland park, Kim Possible World Showcase Adventure at EPCOT, and the Ghost Post limited-time experience inspired by the Haunted Mansion). Additionally, he was recently named a 2020 TEA Master, also by the Themed Entertainment Association.

Lanny will also be featured as part of the upcoming exhibit “Breaking Barriers: Honoring Extraordinary Black Inventors” at the National Inventors Hall of Fame® Museum located in the United States Patent and Trademark Office headquarters in Alexandria, Virginia. The NIHF exhibit is being presented in partnership with the USPTO and the Black Inventors Hall of Fame.

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Before Disney, Lanny worked at Bell Laboratories and then Bell Communications Research. While at Bell, Lanny earned patents for his work in the early development of video-on-demand technology, video conferencing, a television system for displaying multiple views of a remote location, and fiber optic receivers that can be used in harsh-temperature environments.