There’s a saying that goes, “I always judge a man by his shoes (and his watch).
Sleeping Beauty Castle at Disneyland Park is enveloped in golden accents and pixie dust as though it has been magically enchanted. Here, guests can explore winding passageways where the epic tale of Princess Aurora is told through spellbinding dioramas. Inspired by the film’s original Eyvind Earle artwork, this iconic attraction features 3-dimensional displays, sound and stunning special effects. The climactic final scene features Maleficent’s transformation into a fire-breathing dragon. (Christian Thompson/Disneyland Resort)
In the 1994 film by the same name, Forrest Gump says, “Mama always said you can tell a lot about a person by their shoes–where they going, where they been.”
And apparently, Disney has taken those quotes to a whole new level, developing technology that will identify Guests at Disneyland by their shoes and what they’re wearing in the parks.
According to Patent Yogi, Disney’s technology was created to identify and track Guests based on the shoes they wear when visiting Disneyland with the intention of creating a “more customized experience” for each Guest. For this technology, the patent is titled “A System and Method Using Foot Recognition to Create a Customized Guest Experience,” and the owner is listed as Disney Enterprise.
In theory, this Disney patent is for technology that would work as follows:
As a Guest walks into Disneyland Park or Disney California Adventure, sensors and cameras will capture the image of his or her shoes. Those sensors and cameras will identify the brand of shoes worn by Guests, as well as the model of the shoes and the shoes’ color schemes. Sensors will also be located in the ground so that Guests‘ shoe sizes and the tread designs of their shoes will also be captured, which will give more details about the shoes worn by Guests.
Once sensors and cameras gather these pieces of information, the system will associate Guests‘ shoe details with personal details, including Guests‘ names and interests. As a Guest moves throughout the parks, enjoying attractions, entertainment, rides, and food, sensors in the ground capture images of his or her shoes and are able to recognize the Guest wearing the shoes.
According to Patent Yogi, “by knowing what the interests of the person are, a customized experience may then be provided [by Disney’s technology], like presenting a particular media content.”
To put it simply, the Disney shoe recognition patent is for technology that would allow Disney to follow a Guest’s footsteps, identify him or her by a shoe, and ensure that he or she is met with a personalized, customized Disney Parks experience, regardless of his or her location in the parks.
Further, Disney’s shoe recognition technology was also designed to give Guests compliments on their choice of shoes, depending on what they’re wearing.
A potentially significant perk to Disney’s shoe recognition technology is that it presents an unobtrusive way of identifying Guests as compared to other methods, such as fingerprint recognition and retinal identification.
Disney is known for world-class, legendary Guest service, and this Disney patent could be the key to continuing to improve that service as time marches on.
As more homes “cut the cord” by disconnecting from cable television and satellite providers, viewers have turned to streaming services like Disney+. Streaming services put a nearly endless amount of content at our fingertips, but lack one thing: interactivity. A Disney patent application published March 4, 2021 would bring new levels of interactivity to nearly any streaming service.
The patent application details the difficulties involved in adding interactivity to video content. Usually, interactivity is added by coding a container that layers game-like features over the streaming video. The issue with this method is that the container code must be rewritten to add new features.
Some app developers create interactive video experiences, but the Disney patent application states that apps lead to “brand confusion” and may be hampered by underpowered user devices such as tablets or smartphones.
The “Cloud-based Image Rendering for Video Stream Enrichment” patent application offers a fix in the form of a video enrichment unit that takes in the stream, adds interactivity based on user preferences, then presents the interactive content to the viewer.
Fig. 1 gives an overview of how streaming video is enriched. The patent states that a stream “may include only the generic and predetermined content inserted into video stream (130) by content provider (114).” The real magic happens when the video enrichment unit is allowed to do its thing.
“For example, where video stream (130) is a broadcast of a sporting event, and one of user profiles (124a-124c) corresponding to a user of one of non-interactive video player(s) (120) includes data identifying a favorite team of that user, team colors and/or a team logo may be included in lightly enhanced video stream (142) as basic graphical overlays.”
U.S. Patent Application 2021/0067844 A1
The user profile aspect is unique. Many streaming services allow for multiple profiles. The Disney device reads a profile and presents interactive content that is relevant to the selected viewer.
By offloading processing requirements from the streaming device (Apple TV, Roku, smart televisions) to the video enrichment unit, interactive 3D objects, quizzes, games, and polls are possible. Such interactive features would allow viewers to “collaboratively participate in providing feedback and/or selecting additional video enhancements for rendering and insertion” into the the customizable video segments.
This interactive feedback could be used to cast votes on shows such as American Idol or to guess which Jedi would appear during The Mandalorian finale. Disney could easily license the technology to other streaming services.
In October 2020, Disney announced that it is shifting its focus to streaming. This new patent application could shed light on the scope of Disney’s streaming plans.
Additional recent Disney patent applications include:
From the Disney Skyliner to the new Walt Disney World buses with character wraps and charging ports, Disney is always trying to plus transportation offerings. A new patent application hints that Disney is looking to create an interactive experience for guests while riding said vehicles.
From the patent application:
One aspect of the present disclosure relates to sequential storytelling across a set of one or more vehicles such that interactive experiences that have narrative, leveling, or other persistent or shared aspects may be presented to users over a set of sessions in which the users (individually or as a group) are passengers in the set of one or more vehicles. As used in this context, “storytelling” may refer to broader presentation of interactive media than simply audible, or even visual, recitation or representation of a story. The users may include a first user. The first user may be provided with interactive experiences on the set of one or more vehicles. The interactive experiences may be provided by a set of virtual content and/or other content. The virtual content may provide a digital game (such as a video game), a video, and/or other interactive media. A set of physical effects may be provided concurrently with the set of virtual content. The physical effects including one or more tactile effects, environmental effects, and/or other effects. The physical effects provided concurrently with the set of virtual content may be correspond to the context of content provided by the set of virtual content.
What’s most striking about the application is the description that the progress can be saved and resumed at any time on any applicable vehicle. What these vehicles will be is unknown, but this quote from the application gives some hints it may be for Walt Disney World Transport buses:
Vehicle(s) may be one or more of a car, a bus, a shuttle, a train, an airplane, a vessel (such as a ship), and/or other vehicles. In some implementations, vehicle(s) may be a motorized vehicle. In some implementations, vehicle(s) may include one or more autonomous vehicle, semi-autonomous vehicle, non-autonomous vehicle, and/or other vehicles.
The vehicle condition may specify one or more vehicle engine condition, tire condition, suspension condition, fuel conditions, and/or other conditions. The vehicle condition of the first vehicle may be determined based on output signals of the one or more sensors of the first vehicle. The output signals of the one or more sensors of the first vehicle may convey the vehicle condition.
The operation mode of the vehicles may specify driving settings, vehicle dynamics, and other settings in the vehicles. The operation mode may specify whether the vehicle may be operating in one or more of a performance setting, efficiency setting, comfort setting, and/or other settings. The operation mode may specify whether the vehicle may be operating with passengers. The operation mode may specify whether the vehicle may be operating on a street, a highway, a parking lot, dirt road, and/or other locations in the real world. The operation mode may specify whether the vehicle is parked, turned on, in reverse, in motion, and/or other in other operation modes.
The vehicle status information specifying one or more of a real-world location, operation mode, vehicle condition, operating route, operating time schedule, and/or other information of the individual vehicles in the set of one or more vehicles. The real-world location, operation mode, vehicle condition, and/or other information of the individual vehicles in the set of one or more vehicles may be specified by one or more sensors and/or systems in the individual vehicles.
Now, the patent application also discusses how the virtual content will be displayed in or near the vehicle. Much like Soarin’ Around the World or other 4D attractions, effects like lighting or wind would be used to immerse guests:
The environmental effects may include a change in temperature, a change in lighting, a blast of air, and/or other effects. The environmental effects may be provided by one or more lighting systems, heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system, and/or other systems in a vehicle and/or around a user. The change in temperature may include increasing or decreasing the ambient temperature around the user or on a given body part of the user. The change in lighting may include increasing or decreasing the light intensity around the user or at a given location. The change in lighting may include changing the color of lighting around the user or at a given location. The change in lighting may include turning a lighting system on or off.
The set of physical effects may be provided concurrently with the set of virtual content. The set of physical effects may be associated with the set of virtual content. The physical effects provided concurrently with the set of virtual content may be correspond to the context of content provided by the set of virtual content. By way of non-limiting example, if a virtual content provided include an airplane flying through the clouds, the physical effects of a decrease in temperature around the user, a change in the lighting, and/or other effects may be provided concurrently with virtual content.
The simulated space, or the screens used to display the simulated space, could appear in a variety of ways:
The simulated physical space may be in a three-dimensional space, two-dimensional space, and/or other simulated physical spaces. The simulated physical space may depict an environment. In some implementations, the simulated physical space may include a head-up display (HUD) overlaid on the three-dimensional, two-dimensional space, and/or other simulated physical spaces. A HUD may comprise of one or more of a mini-map, menu, one or more application information readings, and/or other information.
This interactive game can be utilized in a private game or as a multiplayer experience as described below:
The digital game may be a video game with one or more of a single player component, multiplayer game component, and/or other components. For example, the digital game with the multiplayer game component may be one or more of an online game a multiplayer game, a local co-op game, and/or other games. The digital game with single player component may be one or more of the online game, an offline game, a single player game, and/or other games.
The multiplayer experience seems to not be limited to the single-vehicle but rather across any specified connect vehicles in the fleet:
The user(s) provided with the virtual content providing the digital game with a multiplayer game component may participate in the virtual content with other users in the set of one or more vehicles or the first vehicle of the set of one or more vehicles. For example, the passengers (e.g., the user(s)) of the set of one or more vehicles may participate in the persistent or shared game together to achieve a common (e.g., shared) or private (e.g., unshared) goal in the game. The persistent or shared game may be provided by the first virtual content.
The passengers of the set of one or more vehicles may be in a same game session of the shared game and may interact with one another in the same game session. The passengers of the set of one or more vehicles may be in the same vehicle of the set of one or more vehicles and/or different set of one or more vehicles when participating in the persistent or shared game together.
To summarize, this technology appears to be connected to a user device (i.e. smartphone) to allow a user to interact with the environment simulated in or near the vehicle via screens or projectors. As a way to enhance the interactive game or experience, physical effects like lighting changes or wind will be used to add a sense of reality.
Also, the interactive experience will have “stages” or “levels” and the user can save their progress at any time and restart at the same point via any connected vehicle.
As always, patent applications are not guaranteed to ever see the light of day, but it is always interesting to see what technology Disney may be developing for their theme parks.
