Universal files new plans for ride and show systems

June 4, 2026, 10:57 PM · I have seven - yes, seven - patent applications for you today from Universal. Let's dive in.

First up is System and Method for Actuating Ride Components Based on Contours of Fluid. At first glance, that seems like a sketchy attempt to patent a long-standing technology called "floating." You stick a boat and the water, and it floats. What's new there?

But imagine a ride that is not actually a boat on the water. What if the "fluid" were something like what we called "swamp juice" on movie sets - the fluid that gets poured into a fog machine? That seems to be closer to what Universal is describing here - a system for simulating a ride vehicle floating on a cloud, for example.

Universal has another cloud-related patent application this week. In System and Method for Cloud Projection, Universal describes plans for projection images on generated clouds, floating through the sky. Think of a show like Universal's CineSational or Disney's World of Color, but instead of projecting on water screens, the pictures project onto clouds. I guess it's still a movie on water vapor, one way or another.

Moving back into ride system tech, Universal also is proposing a System and Method for a Simulated Walkable Scene-Based Attraction. The one envisions a virtual reality attraction where riders would spend part of their time in an actual ride vehicle before stepping off onto omnidirectional treadmills for the walking portion of their virtual adventure.

Taking the headsets off, Universal also offers three more proposals this week for ways to depict show effects on rides.

Forced perspective is a well-known concept in theme parks. Many parks use the technique to maks buildings and props look taller than they are. But what about forced perspective on a ride? To do that for riders in a moving vehicle, an object would need to move at an appropriate speed to maintain the illusion for riders to keep the illusion from breaking. System and Method for Establishing a Forced Perspective Illusion the specific approach that Universal proposed to do that.

In Dynamic Projection Surface System and Method, Universal describes a way to create more convincing on-ride projections, by employing surfaces that may have 3D elements that protrude from the surface, creating depth and dimension for the projections that would accompany a ride.

In AI-Assisted and Dynamic Ride Profile Tracking Systems and Methods, Universal describes a system for changing what it projects on a ride, based on what direction a rider is looking. Dark ride systems such as omnimovers try to control riders' focus by swiveling and pointing toward an intended viewpoint. This system flips that, by shifting viewpoints based upon the direction in which a rider looks.

Finally, Universal has filed plans for an Augmented Reality Tattoo. That one is exactly what the title describes. You hold a phone up to Universal's temporary tat, and it moves. I figure that this has to be some Wizarding World dark mark stuff here.

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