Disney Files Patent for Rides Controlled by Guest Emotion
This is very interesting news!
Disney has filed a patent that will control theme park rides using guest’s emotions. Inside Out comes to mind with this creative idea but nothing has been confirmed of the like or even rumored quite frankly.
Patent for Guest emotion controlled ride
According to the patent itself, a camera onboard the ride vehicle or an ID device (most likely a magicband) could read rider facial expressions to determine emotions such as boredom or excitement then adjust the course of the ride to fit the rider’s needs and desires. It would be able to, for example, spin more or less, increase or decrease the speed of the ride and essentially improve the ride in order for the rider to have a more enjoyable experience.
From the Orlando Business Journal:
“The technology would allow rides to adjust show content appropriate for pre-teens, teenagers or adults; or for thrill-seeking and non thrill-seeking passengers. The control system may also operate the vehicle to address (e.g. even solve in some cases) motion sickness issues for passengers such as by adjusting speed or movement patterns of a vehicle. [Through RFID or some other identifying system] access one or more ride experience goals (or expectations) for the occupant. For example, the occupant may simply desire transportation while in the automated trackless vehicle and, hence, will not be wanting to interact with to be entertained by external display systems. In other cases, though, the occupant may have provided goals/expectations (e.g. by completing a questionnaire on a website or the like) that indicate they want to be educated during the ride, be entertained in a particular manner during the ride, be informed of sales on services or merchandise during the ride, and so on. In the same or other cases, the goals/expectations may indicate whether the ride experience should be thrilling, as smooth as possible, or something in between.”
The patent also states that it will be able to sense passenger comfortability like temperature and adjust the AC levels to cool a guest off. It also mentioned the ability for guests to customize the ride experience. It states, “The ride/travel path may be selected to meet the occupant’s goals, such as to take the path that can be completed at this time of day in the shortest period of time, to take a path that has the best scenery, to take a path that moves past a particular set of display elements, and the like.”
Finally there is a time flexibility factor in the tech that will possibly work with guest schedule such as trying to get the most of theme park rides during their stay. For now this is simply a patent and as i stated previously there is no rumors or even confirmation for plans that this will be utilized at this time.