National Inventors Hall of Fame Imagineer shows off stunning new tech

Lanny Smoot, a Walt Disney Imagineer with 106 patents to his name, is being inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame. A Disney Research Fellow, he’s done everything from the amazing lightsabres at Disney Parks to getting Madame Leota’s crystal ball to float.

Walt Disney is the only other Disney employee to receive the honour.

Disney Parks has just posted a video interviewing him about his achievements, and showing off a very impressive floor that would allow people to “move” about attractions while staying put.

Previous to Disney, Smoot worked at Bell Laboratories, where his inventions related to communications. Other innovations at Disney include the Magic PlayFloor on Disney Cruise Lines, which reacts to childrens’ movement.

For more on Smoot, the United States Patent and Trademark Office conducted a fulsome interview with him in 2022.