Disney is currently working on its own metaverse. Accessible without a virtual reality headset or smartphone, this virtual universe will be used to enrich the group’s theme parks. The project, which includes high-flying image projectors, is not expected to see the light of day for several years.
Disney patents a metaverse for its theme parks
In July 2020, Disney filed a patent for a “virtual world simulator” with the US Patent and Trademark Office. This December 28, 2021, the US agency finally approved the filing.
As the patent explains, the platform would be accessible within the Disneyland theme parks without virtual or augmented reality headsets or smartphones. The technology developed will be able to project a user into a virtual world by displaying custom 3D effects on physical spaces, walls and objects around them. It is therefore not a question of holograms.
“The growing concern about the spread of communicable diseases will likely require cumbersome remediation procedures,” the patent says, explaining why Disney wants to do without a headset or accessory.
This metaverse imagined by Disney will therefore not be accessible on the Internet through accessories such as a virtual reality headset or a tablet. As Bob Chapek, Disney’s general manager, explained last November, the technology invented by the company will instead make it possible to combine the reality of its theme parks with the metaverse:
“We’ll be able to connect the physical and digital worlds even more closely, enabling borderless storytelling in our own Disney Metaverse. “
To develop its vision of the metaverse, the entertainment giant plans to use sophisticated image projectors with extremely high refresh rates. These projectors will be responsible for projecting high quality images close to visitors.
To help the projectors understand their surroundings, Disney will rely on Lidar scanners. A Lidar sensor is capable of mapping an environment in three dimensions by calculating the time it takes for light to travel back and forth to an object. Lidar is used by iPhones to enhance the rendering of augmented reality.
Disney CEO: We want to create a Metaverse
“We will be able to connect the physical & digital worlds allowing for storytelling without boundaries”
If Disney is launching NFTs on Ethereum, wouldn’t it make sense for their Metaverse to also live on Ethereum? pic.twitter.com/lcZ5pTrFYz
– Crypto-Gucci.eth ᵍᵐ (@CryptoGucci) November 11, 2021
Disney says no immediate plans for metaverse
Not surprisingly, Disney says it has no plans to exploit the technologies described in the patent in the near future. Interviewed by our colleagues of the Los Angeles Times, the American firm explains that it “files hundreds of patents every year” in order to explore “the development of technologies”
We are excited about the possibilities of this type of technology. There are currently no plans to introduce this technology in any future experience,” the Disney spokesperson said.
For the record, Disney is one of the most forward-thinking companies in the world. The company founded by Walt Disney has often adopted key technologies before its peers. This is notably the case of blockchain. Disney has been using blockchain since 2014, long before it became a key buzzword.
