Universal looks to improve show, via new patent applications
We have three new patent applications from Universal this week, including proposals for more realistic show animations, more responsive interactive gameplay, and easier-to-find lockers.
First, the show animation. In "Show Effect System for Attraction System," Universal details its plans to address the problem of one physical thing moving another in a show scene. Think of an animated character pushing buttons, moving boxes or pulling levers - that sort of thing. Now, if the character actually was contacting those props, that would cause wear over time, raising maintenance costs.
And if the character was not actually contacting that prop, well, that would look fake and unconvincing. So how can a character actually contact and "move" a prop without causing wear? Universal's patent application addresses that, by describing a linkage system between the character and the prop, with an actuator doing the moving. You can read the details here: Show Effect System for Attraction System.
In "Interactive Systems and Methods With Feedback Devices," Universal describes its proposal for connecting RFID tags and microcontrollers so that guests can get some form of visual or physical feedback when using RFID-enabled interactive devices in the park. Think of the Second Generation Interactive Wands in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter lands at Universal Orland, which are designed to provide haptic and visual feedback when you cast a spell successfully. However, what Universal describes here could enable far more engagement than that. The patent application details the process by which users' device and targets communicate with one another to trigger animation and feedback. You can see the full description here: Interactive Systems and Methods With Feedback Devices.
Finally, Universal's third patent application this week addresses the locker systems that parks use for certain thrill rides. One of the problems with these massive locker banks is finding the specific locker where you stashed your stuff. In "Locker Management Systems and Methods," Universal proposes a "locker guidance module" that activates a lighting system to direct a guest to their specific locker.
Let's say you get off a ride and scan your ticket to reopen your locker. Universal's system also would use lightning to direct your attention toward that locker, so that you can spot it more easily. Here's how they do it: Locker Management Systems and Methods.
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That last one is the most interesting to me. The advent of double-sided lockers has been a godsend for thrill rides, because they maintain unidirectional flow in the queue both on and off the ride that keeps guests from mixing and staff having to manage tight areas and the natural chaos of dropping off and retrieving loose articles. However, the back side of the locker bays are naturally reversed from how they were oriented when you stowed your loose articles - the locker on the top right of the bay when you enter is going to be the top left locker of the bay when you exit. Not to mention the front side of locker bays are typically going to be well themed, while the back side at the exit is naturally going to be devoid of theming to ensure guests aren't lingering, so you can't use any landmarks or visual queues to know which locker is yours. Some parks have tried to address these problems through various techniques - some use touch screens with codes at each bay to unlock on the exit side, and bays are either interconnected or directing guests to the correct bay to enter their code. Having the bays being interconnected is probably the best so you don't have to hunt and peck for your locker or wait in a line because multiple guests all stored their items in the same bay, but it can put your items at risk by unlocking a locker that may not be immediately visible or accessible, opening the potential for theft from a guest that snatches the items before you reach the locker or the locker inadvertently gets pushed closed and requiring staff intervention to reopen the locker since it gets reset. Phantasialand's F.L.Y. and Europa Park's Voltron utilize a slightly different double-sided system reliant on RFID technology. Guests are directed to lockers, which staff manually unlock with an RFID device (either wristband or key card) that is given to the guest to take with them on the ride. After the ride is over, guests turn in the wristband/key card, which another staff member uses to unlock the locker and physically watches each guest walk over to retrieve their items. Obviously, the RFID solution can be more labor intensive, but no more than a "bell service" that some parks use (with pass-through cubbies and wristbands or tags that guests use to retrieve their items). This lighting patent solves a problem, presumably by letting guests enter their code or tap their RFID device at terminal that is connected to all the lockers, but unless the locker bay is a literal labyrinth (Escape from Gringott's is a good example), I don't think this path lighting concept really provides any distinct advantage when there are dozens of guests crowding in a tight locker bay.
The ultimate solution to this problem is to not make locker bays an afterthought of queue design (i.e. slamming into a closet-like space because that's the only space in the attraction footprint available). If you're building a thrill ride with an optimal throughput over 1,000 pph, you should have a well designed and laid out locker area. So many parks have amazing attractions and some incredibly themed queues, but when it comes to dealing with loose articles, particularly cell phones that are practically essential equipment on a normal visit, too many parks drop the ball as if they never considered the fact that someone is going to ride with something in their pocket that needs to be stowed or otherwise secured during the ride.