travelling-blogger

comments

Disney want to introduce military-style drones to create spectacular entertainment shows, state-of-the-art aerial floating movie screens and magical flying puppets in their US theme parks.

Tourists flocking to Disney World in Florida and Disney Land in California could be in for a treat if plans to use the small, unmanned flight systems are accepted by the US government.

The company have applied to use the cutting edge technology to create aerial displays such as floating projection screens and marionettes held up by the contraptions.

Disney claim that if the new technology is approved it will greatly improve their entertainment shows

Disney claim the drones would be able to carry a blimp-sized character through the sky, while other puppets could even be animated by a flock of drones manipulating different limbs

They say the drones, which would be controlled from the ground and carefully monitored to prevent them colliding with each other, will lead to a huge improvement in the way in which the puppets are orchestrated in their hugely popular parades and shows. 

The drones would also be resistant to strong winds, the company said.

In the case of marionettes, a drone would be capable of carrying a blimp-sized character through the sky to simulate flight.

Other puppets could even be animated by a flock of drones manipulating individual limbs.

The commercial use of drones is currently banned by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), but Disney says the technology can solve a problem with aerial displays which have been 'limited in how easy it has been to alter the choreography and to provide a repeatable show'. 

Walt Disney has filed three patents which could allow them to use the small, unmanned machines

The commercial use of drones is currently banned by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), but Disney say aerial displays could be improved by the introduction of drones 

It has even been suggested that large mail order companies could develop UAVs to deliver their goods to customers in the future

'This is a significant improvement over prior flying characters, which typically were provided in the form of parade or other blimps/balloons filled with hot air or other gases and that had little and/or awkward articulation of any movable parts,' the company said in its patent application.

In filing for the patents, Disney joins a list of companies pressing for the US government to allow commercial use of the flying machines which have so far been restricted to military use and government surveillance.

The machines, also called unmanned aerial vehicles or UAVs, are currently used in war-zones and military operations to provide an effective means of gathering intelligence and venturing into hostile areas without the need of a pilot.

Disney published the applications last week for what it described as aerial display systems with floating pixels, floating projection screens and marionettes held up by the contraptions

Disney joins a list of companies pressing for the US government to allow commercial use of the flying machines which have so far been restricted to military use and government surveillance

The machines were first used in WWII, but there have been significant developments in the technology since then. 

It has even been suggested that large mail order companies could develop UAVs to deliver their goods to customers in the future.

It was last year that the chief executive of Amazon, the world's largest online retailer, revealed the company had been testing unmanned drones to deliver goods.

The FAA is currently in the process of drafting rules for the commercial use of drones for everything from TV news coverage to package delivery to crop monitoring.

Representative for Disney have not yet commented on the proposals.