Disney Develops Omnidirectional VR Floor
Disney's HoloTile floor technology is advancing omnidirectional haptics for virtual reality experiences. The technology aims to bridge the gap between virtual and physical worlds, enabling more immersive and interactive play, with potential applications for future family entertainment.
- The inventor of the HoloTile is Lanny Smoot, a Disney Research Fellow who is the company's most prolific inventor with over 100 patents. Smoot is the first Imagineer and only the second person from the Walt Disney Company, after Walt Disney himself, to be inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame. - The technology is inspired by the Holodeck from Star Trek and functions as the world's first multi-person, omnidirectional treadmill floor. It is composed of small, hexagonal tiles that can move anything on their surface in any direction, allowing multiple users to walk independently in a shared virtual space without colliding. - Beyond virtual reality, Disney envisions the HoloTile being used on theatrical stages, allowing performers to execute novel dance moves or for props and scenery to move autonomously. - Lanny Smoot's other notable inventions for Disney include creating the floating head of Madame Leota in the Haunted Mansion attraction and developing the extendable, more realistic lightsaber for the Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser experience. - This technology is part of Disney's long history with virtual and augmented reality, which began with attractions at the DisneyQuest indoor theme park in 1998, such as "Aladdin's Magic Carpet Ride." - Disney's current strategy in immersive technology includes a $1.5 billion equity investment in Epic Games to create an "expansive and open games and entertainment universe" connected to Fortnite. The company is also developing content for the Apple Vision Pro, allowing users to view Disney+ within immersive 3D environments from its major franchises.
