Will Fans Soon See Holograms At Walt Disney World?

Holograms are a part of nearly every science fiction or fantasy franchise. And the Star Wars films seem to employ more holograms than most.

However, recreating that fantastic technology in the real world is near impossible. Or is it?

Orlando Business Journal thinks the technology might just land at Walt Disney World’s Star Wars hotel sooner than later.

OBJ’s Richard Bilbao reported:

A look inside of the new Star Wars-themed resort coming to Walt Disney World

Theme parks sometimes provide a peek into the future, thanks to the goal of ride creators to always have the most cutting-edge technology needed to make a ride or experience feel as real as possible.

That may be at play again with another patent from The Walt Disney Co., dubbed “Floating Image Display System.” The patent appears to show how Disney inventors could recreate floating holograms — something that could provide a futuristic spin to many rides and experiences.

The patent reads:

Advances in computer technology and software have made possible the creation of richly featured virtual characters capable of simulating interactivity with a human viewer of the virtual character. The illusion of interactivity can be further enhanced when the virtual character is displayed as a three-dimensional (3-D) image, apparently independent of the display system generating it. For example, the image of the virtual character may be shown as a holographic image, or may be shown as an image that appears to float in space.

Conventional techniques for displaying holographic or floating images typically utilize sophisticated optical arrays to project the image for viewing, which can limit the environments and use cases in which providing such interactive 3-D imagery is practical. Consequently, in order to make the enhanced entertainment value of interaction with a holographic or floating image more widely available, there is a need in the art for an imaging solution capable of displaying a floating image of a virtual character using readily available consumer electronics or relatively simple optical arrays.

Bilbao added:

This resembles something many followers of Disney expect to see at the future Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser hotel experience coming to Walt Disney World in Orlando. The hotel experience will allow guests to register at a ‘docking’ area and then ride a transport “into space” where they will board the Halcyon — an intergalactic starcruiser — and enjoy a multi-day experience that works sort of like a cruise. The timeline for the resort has yet to be revealed, but Disney has been working on building it for several months, based on state permits filed over the past year. 

However, I would also submit that Marvel uses holograms ubiquitously. So, it wouldn’t shock me to see this tech emerge on the Avengers Campus, too.

I can’t recommend Bilbao’s articles enough. Be sure to check out this article and his entire catalog at Orlando Business Journal.

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