FRIDAY FUN – LIGHTSABER TRAINING/BATTLE SIMULATOR PATENT APPLICATION
This spring, Disney officially broke ground on a 14-acre expansion that includes “Star Wars” themed lands. Among other features, a recently published patent application (U.S. Patent Application No. 20160201888) hints at an interactive lightsaber attraction. Once you get past the bland title “Audience Interaction Projection System,” the application discloses a system that would allow fans to train like Luke Skywalker or even participate in an epic battle armed with a lightsaber.
The system uses infrared light to track the exact location of your lightsaber using a master controller. Drones or stationary projectors emit beams of light that are made visible by an atmosphere containing particulate matter (i.e., theatrical fog). When you “block” one of these beams of light with your lightsaber, or you are “hit” in a specially designed vest, transducers provide haptic feedback enabling you to feel the impact such as a recoil effect in your lightsaber.
While nothing will ever be quite like fighting your friends in epic neighborhood-wide battles with cheap plastic lightsabers, the system described in this patent application is sure to be fun for both younglings and the young at heart.