Category: Technology

Pandora Utility Suit Officially Debuts At Pandora – The World of Avatar

The 4.2-ton Pandora Utility Suit officially debuted at Pandora – The World of Avatar at Disney’s Animal Kingdom this past weekend, just in time for the park’s 20th anniversary celebration.

Perched ten feet high, a human pilot straps into the cockpit of this exo-carrier and controls its powerful, yet agile movements. The giant walking suit was designed with articulated hands and a shoulder span of more than five feet. It also bears claw marks and battle scars from a Thanator – an alpha predator on Pandora.

But the Pandora Utility Suit was actually designed for restoration, while the film’s AMP suits were created for infantry missions of destruction. Its streamlined structure and technical upgrades make it the perfect tool to collect plant samples, study flora and survive Pandora’s wild terrain.

Like all the lands at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Pandora is rooted in nature and the Pandora Utility Suit showcases that in dramatic fashion. As the suit’s pilot traverses the land daily, he’ll interact with guests, sharing details about the land’s otherworldly landscape, and highlight the importance of preserving nature. Check out the video below to hear what guests have to say about this amazing addition the Pandora.

You can encounter the Utility Suit pilot in Pandora – The World of Avatar daily.

April 23, 2018
Disney Opens StudioLAB to build ‘Entertainment Experiences’ of the Future

For what seems like ‘Imagineers’ for movies, Disney has created a research and development lab that will drive entertainment experiences of the future. Accenture has been appointed by The Walt Disney Studios as a founding member and Innovation Partner of StudioLAB, an initiative dedicated to reimagining, designing and prototyping the entertainment experiences and production capabilities of the future using innovative technologies.

The Walt Disney Studios produces feature films from Disney, including Walt Disney Animation Studios; Pixar Animation Studios; Marvel Studios; and Lucasfilm. It also brings music and stage plays to consumers via The Disney Music Group and Disney Theatrical Group.

Accenture Interactive and its design and innovation unit, Fjord, will play a lead role in helping to establish StudioLAB, as well as define and develop cutting-edge entertainment technology. They will also draw upon the extensive R&D expertise of Accenture Labs to help Disney Studios apply emerging technologies in innovative ways. Initial areas of focus include: immersive entertainment; artificial intelligence; IoT; the future of movie production; and next-generation cinematic platforms.

In addition to collaborating on R&D, Accenture will partner with the Studios to support the operations of the StudioLAB as part of a 3-year agreement. This includes co-crafting the StudioLAB’s charter and governance, physical lab design, and business operations. In a co-located setup, Accenture personnel will work alongside StudioLAB personnel to incubate and prototype new concepts expected to impact the entertainment industry, advancing the way stories are told.

“Accenture Interactive is thrilled to collaborate with the imaginative minds at The Walt Disney Studios on entertainment R&D to reimagine how people experience storytelling,” said Baiju Shah, chief strategist for Accenture Interactive and global lead, Fjord. “Our partnership demonstrates the true purpose of Accenture Interactive – to create truly remarkable experiences. Accenture is uniquely positioned to bring together the full set of diverse skills – from strategy, design and technology innovation, across emerging technologies like immersive entertainment, artificial intelligence, and IoT — needed to run a first-class innovation lab and deliver the next generation of entertainment experiences.”

“As we thought about key partners to deliver our vision for StudioLAB, the decision to collaborate with Accenture Interactive was clear,” said Jamie Voris, CTO of The Walt Disney Studios. “Their ability to combine the design and innovation capabilities of a leading digital agency with the applied R&D capabilities of the Accenture Labs and deep industry expertise in media and entertainment makes them an ideal partner to innovate on the future of entertainment experiences. Technology is an essential component of how we make characters, stories and worlds come alive at Disney, and we’re looking forward to the possibilities of what we can imagine and build together.”

StudioLAB teams will apply emerging technologies to create new entertainment experiences. The StudioLAB environment will also provide a unique space for Accenture to host tours and lead innovation workshops with clients to help inspire them on their own innovation journeys.

Accenture has a 25-year history working with The Walt Disney Company, supporting some of its most innovative initiatives – ranging from myMagic+, Disney Movies Anywhere and Marvel Unlimited to Disney’s Enterprise Cloud Program and advanced marketing analytics at ABC. For this initiative, Accenture Interactive will also tap into support from Accenture’s other main businesses — Accenture Consulting, Accenture Strategy and Accenture Technology – to bring a complete set of transformation skills to co-innovate with The Walt Disney Studios.

March 9, 2018
Google Maps Adds Disney Theme Parks to Street View
You can now take a self-guided tour of Disney World and Disneyland right from the comfort of your smart phone and with out all of the long lines. Beginning today, you can now explore Disney Parks on Google Street View. Disney just launched a series of 360-degree panoramas featuring Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World Resort locations you’ll want to check out to help plan your next vacation.

The new Disney Parks imagery on Google Street View includes Disney’s theme parks, water parks as well as a variety of areas at Downtown Disney and Disney Springs. Take a look below at Epcot from every angle.

To create the 360-degree imagery at Disney Parks, Google used Street View Trekker, a wearable backpack with a camera system on top. The Trekker is worn by an operator and is moved through walkways and structures, automatically gathering images. Imagery is then stitched together to create the 360-degree panoramas you see today.

Here’s a list of the locations that the Trekker’s captured:
- Disneyland park, Disneyland Resort
- Disney California Adventure park
- Downtown Disney District
- Magic Kingdom Park, Walt Disney World Resort
- Disney Springs – Dining, Retail Locations
- Disney’s Hollywood Studios
- Pandora – The World of Avatar
- Disney’s Animal Kingdom
- Epcot
- ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex
- Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon Water Park
- Disney’s Blizzard Beach Water Park
Disney Parks imagery is also being featured on Google’s Street View gallery page along with breathtaking natural wonders of the world. Check it out and let us know what you think in the comments below.
March 6, 2018
Disney Patent Hints at Possible Lightsaber Experience

Disney is constantly exploring new technologies to help immerse their guests into the worlds they bring to life and a recently published patent reveals possible new plans for “Star Wars” lightsabers. If you are a Star Wars fan then this is the technology you’re looking for.

The application from Disney Enterprises hints at a possible “Star Wars” lightsaber experience. Filed in September 2017, the patent is, not so simply titled, “systems and methods for augmenting an appearance of a hilt to simulate a bladed weapon.”

Included in the document summary it describes, “an overlay image” being used to create the blade portion of the weapon which would give the appearance that the “blade of the bladed weapon is attached to the hilt.” The most likely scenario is that an overlay image would likely be seen through an augmented reality headset of some sort.

“In some implementations, the display may include one or more of a head-mounted display, an optical head-mounted display, a see-through display, an optical see-through display, a video see-through display, a visor, eyeglasses, and/or other display,” the document states.

The hilt could be configured for a vast array of experiences with this technology. The weapon could be “broadsword, an axe, or a katana,” the document states. This leaves open the option for Disney to be able to use the tech in a variety of different attractions beyond the Star Wars universe.

The new patent comes after what seems to be a related patent was published in 2016, which suggested plans for an “audience interaction projection system” with real-life lightsabers that actually allows guests operate them via a projection system.

“An entertainment environment has a user with a faux light saber that interacts with a drone flying through the air or operated with hidden rods to appear as if it is flying through the air,” according to the patent.

Disney files hundreds of patents and many never come to fruition, but it gives us a peek into what Disney’s creative team is working on to raise the bar on theme park experiences.

It’s not a far stretch to imagine Disney bringing this technology to Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge if they do move forward with the technology. Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge will be opening at Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Disneyland park in 2019.

There is no official word on whether this technology will be brought to the theme parks at this time, but it’s really exciting to think about.

January 8, 2018