According to a patent filed by Disney Enterprises, Inc. in October with U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, Disney Parks may be looking to shake things up on their attractions in a big way with a new invention that would create momentary earthquakes under the feet of park guests, whenever a character stomped or pounded on the ground.
The patent, dubbed “Haptic Floor System with Quake Plate Assemblies Producing Large Vibration Effects,” appears to be looking at how these large-scale earth-trembling features can be simulated in a setting to add another level of immersion for a viewer.
A drawing included in the filing shows a person pounding on the floor with what appear to be Hulk hands as you can see in the picture below:
“There are many applications where it is desirable to provide people with new and surprising entertainment experiences,” says the patent application. “For example, there is a demand for a physical world environment to be designed and built that can selectively provide people in that environment with haptic feedback in the form of a vibrating floor or ground.”
“The special effect delivered by the haptic floor system,” says the application, can create “ground trembling and vibrations similar to that felt in an earthquake or when a super strong fictional character strikes the floor nearby or a large animal or robot walks or runs by the person.”
