Welcome to the Future! Technology and Innovation at Disney

Jet packs, self-driving cars, universal translators, space tourism; many of the science fiction dreams of yesterday are on the verge of becoming realities of today and promise to transform the world of tomorrow. We have complex communicators/supercomputers in our pockets that would make Captain Kirk proud; robotic dogs that could play fetch with R2D2; and computers, though maybe not quite up to HAL 9000 standards, that can play a mean game of Jeopardy. (Still waiting for that flying car in every garage!) In a similar manner, advances in artificial intelligence, robotics, virtual and augmented realities, and mobile technology are transforming the world of Disney and its theme parks. In this talk I will give an overview of some of the exciting new advances in technology and innovation in Disney theme parks. I will discuss the technology being used both in front of guests and behind the scenes. I will include examples and videos from some of the newest Disney attractions, many of which can be found right next door to the conference. I will also discuss some of the work being done in the area of immersive design and review at Walt Disney Imagineering, in Glendale CA. Welcome to the future! It's a great big beautiful tomorrow!