Disney’s Flying Eye Will Eavesdrop and Talk Back
Title: “Aircraft, Methods for Providing Optical Information, Method for Transmission of Acoustic Information and Method for Observing or Tracking an Object”
US Patent Application Publication No: 20150078620
Filed (PCT): April 19, 2013
Published: March 19, 2015
Details: Did you know that Disney has a worldwide network of research facilities? Their Zurich branch has access to 21 Nobel laureates via the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zürich (ETH).
As it happens, Disney Research and ETH are co-Applicants of a recent curious patent application for what looks to be a flying eyeball. The application lists 19 inventors, and was initially filed in Switzerland.
It was originally filed in English, and reading the text I get the impression that the author’s first language is German. There is efficiency, and gems as “Aircraft are machines using support from the air in order to fly in the air.” [I’d like to see that statement litigated. “Your honor, with all deference to Plaintiff’s argument, our expert says otherwise.”]
In brief, the patent describes a sphere filled with helium about 2.7 meters (close to 9 feet) in diameter. Four fans are mounted in a tetrahedron pattern, and each fan can rotate about its axis. The battery is also split up and mounted in a tetrahedron pattern around the orb to distribute the weight. There is a camera, a microphone and a speaker.
Due to the flexible orientation of the fans, this thing can move in one direction while panning with the camera. The patent says “Especially in case of providing acoustic information by the loudspeaker, the aircraft may be used as a guide.” It will float in the air until its helium leaks out, won’t hurt anyone in a crash, and can stay up much longer than quads.
I think these things will float through Disneyland interacting with the kids. Or will they? The language in the application is sometimes ominous, describing image tracking and listening to its environment. Paint it like an eyeball, add some trailing red veins for yaw stability, and add an eyelid so that it can wink at you when it catches you doing something naughty.
As long as the wind is below 7 mph.
