Didn't see this posted elsewhere:
Superheroes are on the verge of leaping right out of comic books at Disneyland via a technology that has the potential to come to Central Florida's Walt Disney World, among other Disney parks.
The Walt Disney Co. shared a peek at how Disney Imagineers are using technology to create superheroes at the upcoming Avengers Campus land being built at Disneyland. A video, posted on the Disney Parks Blog, showed a robotic Spider-Man performing flips and changing its body positioning in mid-flight to appear as if it was shooting a web to engage the character's iconic web-swinging.
"Guests visiting Disney California Adventure park in the near future may be able to catch a glimpse of the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man himself swinging above the rooftops of Avengers Campus. When Avengers Campus opens this summer, guests will be recruited to become the next generation of super heroes. The campus will be home to a variety of new experiences giving guests the chance to feel the power, adventure and exhilaration of teaming up with some of their favorite super heroes," said Scott Drake, creative executive of Marvel Global Portfolio, via the Disney Parks Blog.
The technology that Disney will use appears to be the evolution of the "Stuntronics" technology Disney has worked on to create robots that can perform aerial maneuvers.
That type of technology would allow robotics to execute stunts that aren't safe enough for human performers. That also could provide performers with better stories to participate in if robots can handle the risky maneuvers. For example, if Disney ever wished to make a superhero-based live show, it now would have robotics that could perform superhuman feats and allow actors to remain safe.
In November, the company secured that technology behind the Stuntronics with its latest patent dubbed "Ballistic Robot System with Spin and Other Controlled Motion of Robot During Flight." The technology could help robots perform a series of aerial stunts such as flips and somersaults, as well as enter the stances needed to land safely.
The Disney Research division has been performing tests on a project called "Stickman: Toward a Human Scale Acrobatic Robot." Videos included with the research showed how a series of actuators were able to make a stick-like mechanism fold and create the motion needed for flips and then release to allow the stick to essentially land on a pad.
There's no mention if the flying robotics could find a home outside of Disney's California park. And Disney executives were not available for comment.
However, it's likely you eventually will see flying robots in some form at Walt Disney World and beyond, said Dennis Speigel, president of Cincinnati-based consulting firm, International Theme park Services Inc. "They will expand this worldwide. It's a technology that seeks global expansion — it’'s too good not to. In Florida, they may not skin a Spider-Man, but they may do it for Star Wars."
That's because Disney, which owns the Marvel brand and its characters, does not have theme park-related rights to the Marvel characters such as Spider-Man east of the Mississippi due to a prior agreement between Marvel and Universal Orlando Resort, which has Marvel Super Hero Island at Islands of Adventure.
Flying robots "are going to be able to perform in shows with these Stuntronics things that people can’t do because they aren’t super heroes. Maybe a human can do this off a trapeze, but they also could be hurt. If there’s an injury to a human that’s one thing, but if a robot slips and falls, that's different — it pushes the boundaries," Speigel added.
Seeing this type of technology make its way to Orlando would provide yet another unique experience that can result in more visitation to the region. That results in more economic impact and overall spending that is good news for Central Florida's $75 billion tourism and travel industry, which drew a record 75 million in 2018, the most recent data available.
Disney dominates the area through its four Orlando theme parks: Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, Epcot and Hollywood Studios. Together, those parks welcomed more than 58 million guests through their turnstiles in 2018, according to the latest data available. That accounts for 70% of the region’s tourism market share.
Disney (NYSE: DIS) also owns two area water parks, Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon, as well as several themed hotels, golf courses, a camping resort, timeshare properties, a residential community called Golden Oak at Walt Disney World Resort, ESPN Wide World of Sports and the Disney Springs retail, dining and entertainment complex.
Superheroes are on the verge of leaping right out of comic books at Disneyland via a technology that has the potential to come to Central Florida's Walt Disney World, among other Disney parks.
The Walt Disney Co. shared a peek at how Disney Imagineers are using technology to create superheroes at the upcoming Avengers Campus land being built at Disneyland. A video, posted on the Disney Parks Blog, showed a robotic Spider-Man performing flips and changing its body positioning in mid-flight to appear as if it was shooting a web to engage the character's iconic web-swinging.
"Guests visiting Disney California Adventure park in the near future may be able to catch a glimpse of the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man himself swinging above the rooftops of Avengers Campus. When Avengers Campus opens this summer, guests will be recruited to become the next generation of super heroes. The campus will be home to a variety of new experiences giving guests the chance to feel the power, adventure and exhilaration of teaming up with some of their favorite super heroes," said Scott Drake, creative executive of Marvel Global Portfolio, via the Disney Parks Blog.
The technology that Disney will use appears to be the evolution of the "Stuntronics" technology Disney has worked on to create robots that can perform aerial maneuvers.
That type of technology would allow robotics to execute stunts that aren't safe enough for human performers. That also could provide performers with better stories to participate in if robots can handle the risky maneuvers. For example, if Disney ever wished to make a superhero-based live show, it now would have robotics that could perform superhuman feats and allow actors to remain safe.
In November, the company secured that technology behind the Stuntronics with its latest patent dubbed "Ballistic Robot System with Spin and Other Controlled Motion of Robot During Flight." The technology could help robots perform a series of aerial stunts such as flips and somersaults, as well as enter the stances needed to land safely.
The Disney Research division has been performing tests on a project called "Stickman: Toward a Human Scale Acrobatic Robot." Videos included with the research showed how a series of actuators were able to make a stick-like mechanism fold and create the motion needed for flips and then release to allow the stick to essentially land on a pad.
There's no mention if the flying robotics could find a home outside of Disney's California park. And Disney executives were not available for comment.
However, it's likely you eventually will see flying robots in some form at Walt Disney World and beyond, said Dennis Speigel, president of Cincinnati-based consulting firm, International Theme park Services Inc. "They will expand this worldwide. It's a technology that seeks global expansion — it’'s too good not to. In Florida, they may not skin a Spider-Man, but they may do it for Star Wars."
That's because Disney, which owns the Marvel brand and its characters, does not have theme park-related rights to the Marvel characters such as Spider-Man east of the Mississippi due to a prior agreement between Marvel and Universal Orlando Resort, which has Marvel Super Hero Island at Islands of Adventure.
Flying robots "are going to be able to perform in shows with these Stuntronics things that people can’t do because they aren’t super heroes. Maybe a human can do this off a trapeze, but they also could be hurt. If there’s an injury to a human that’s one thing, but if a robot slips and falls, that's different — it pushes the boundaries," Speigel added.
Seeing this type of technology make its way to Orlando would provide yet another unique experience that can result in more visitation to the region. That results in more economic impact and overall spending that is good news for Central Florida's $75 billion tourism and travel industry, which drew a record 75 million in 2018, the most recent data available.
Disney dominates the area through its four Orlando theme parks: Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, Epcot and Hollywood Studios. Together, those parks welcomed more than 58 million guests through their turnstiles in 2018, according to the latest data available. That accounts for 70% of the region’s tourism market share.
Disney (NYSE: DIS) also owns two area water parks, Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon, as well as several themed hotels, golf courses, a camping resort, timeshare properties, a residential community called Golden Oak at Walt Disney World Resort, ESPN Wide World of Sports and the Disney Springs retail, dining and entertainment complex.
