News Disney Files New Patent for Ride System That Can Lift and Reposition Vehicles Mid-Attraction

[wdwmagic]

Disney Files Patent for Articulating Arm Ride System That Could Change How Attractions Work

Disney Files Patent for Articulating Arm Ride System That Could Change How Attractions Work

www.wdwmagic.com

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Looks a lot like a kuka…with more options

In theory.

 

[Biff215]

I’m sure it’s not connected but really feels like something that could make a Cars ride pretty fun.

 

[trainplane3]

Oh, so this is what I caught a whisper of a few weeks ago. The idea sounded interesting as well as the use. How well it'll work or actually end up developed, who knows. But as simple as this looks, there's quite a bit they need to pull off to make it actually work consistently.

 

[Disgruntled Walt]

This could make for an interesting second attraction in Piston Peak, though I'd honestly love to see a ride legitimately leaving the ground to jump over gaps, like Donkey Kong is just simulating.

 

[britain]

I’m still hoping for a speederbike coaster.

 

[dlfan1313]

I reckon it will be down at least 30% of the time. (This science-based, factual claim includes any "B-Mode" Implementation Disney might enable to discredit my claims.)

 

[danlb_2000]

I wonder how many of the patents we have seen in the past actually made it into an attraction?

 

[Touchdown]

If it’s what I think it is, it is surprisingly low tech. The boom travels on its own rail and is adjusted by changing the elevation of that rail, suddenly ending said elevation will cause the cars to pop up into an airtime moment before shocks slowly bring them back to the ground.

 

[HauntedPirate]

How much space does Piston Peak have for a second attraction? If they wanted to use this on something of the scale of Test Track or RSR? Absolutely. Using this on a small scale secondary attraction in a land-locked development?

Think this, on a slightly larger scale.

 

[Basil of Baker Street]

I’m still hoping for a speederbike coaster.

Word is they are building one next to Space Mountain.

 

[britain]

Word is they are building one next to Space Mountain.

Bah! I want a Star Wars speederbike coaster through a forest. Not Tron "Space Mountain 2".

 

[dmc493]

Everyone keeps saying it could be the secondary ride, but this feels like an answer to the main attraction? You can position the arm away from the main guest point of view when they're seated, this allows you to feel like the car would be traversing the dirt path naturally, avoiding objects, hitting jumps, etc? It really wouldn't be that hard to hide the arm in the load/unload areas.

others have mentioned kuka arm rides, which easily hide their arms in load/unload

 

[HauntedPirate]

Bah! I want a Star Wars speederbike coaster through a forest. Not Tron "Space Mountain 2".

Imagineers tried designing one but every time they looked up "Speeder bike Return of the Jedi", they got this:

 

[_caleb]

I'm happy to see an indication that Disney is holding to the "no exposed coaster tracks" approach.

A ride system like this could a foundation for any number of coaster-like ride applications.

 

[Touchdown]

I’m pretty sure it’s going to be closer to this:

 

[eddie104]

Seems like the Piston Peak ride system may have been revealed.

 

[Ayla]

I’m pretty sure it’s going to be closer to this:

Yikes.

 

[_caleb]

I’m pretty sure it’s going to be closer to this:

Yeah, sounds like it from @lentesta's posts in the Piston Peak/Villain's land thread:

I have been told by reliable sources that this is indeed for Piston Peak. The names in the patent are a hint.

I think it’s the family ride. A spinner.

It could be a configuration like Alien Saucers with 3 clones attached. One could have motorcycles, one cars, and one boats, as shown in the patent.

That kind of appeal and re-ridabilitybwould boost Lightning Lane use too.

But the patent does seem to provide for a broader application. Here's hoping we see it used in a variety of ways.

 

[Tha Realest]

Yikes.

Where in the A to E ticket spectrum does this fall?