Today another interesting Disney patent has been discovered and will certainly make you feel a certain type of way… quite literally. As the Orlando Business Journal reports, Disney has filed for a patent for what they’ve called “Sensing and Managing Vehicle Behavior Based on Occupant Awareness.”
The idea is to combine facial recognition with established preferences (likely stored on a MagicBand or other device) to customize an attraction to the rider. For example, if the system senses a rider is bored, it might seek to make the experience more exciting. Another application expressed in the text is the ability to “tame” rides for guests prone to motion sickness. Such data could be retrieved beforehand as guests could fill out rider profiles and questionnaires before visiting the attractions.
So could this be the future of theme parks? In a way, it makes great sense as it allows a ride to reach a number of demographics — from children to thrill-seeking adults — all in one shot. However, as with many emerging patents, there is always that “creepy” factor that may turn some guests off. And, as always, just because Disney has filed for a patent for this technology doesn’t necessarily mean we’ll see it implemented anytime soon.
What are your emotions telling you about this potential development?