Disney is always looking for ways to improve the guest experience, particularly in their theme parks. One way they may be doing this in the future involves a recently filed patent for a way to scan guests’ shoes and to use that data to customize theme park visits.
This patent is “a system and method using foot recognition to create a customized guest experience.”
Disney does not have any plans currently to implement the technology. Company spokeswoman Suzi Brown said, “In our ongoing effort to relentlessly innovate and push the boundaries of creativity and technology to create immersive experiences and legendary guest service, we file many patents annually – some come to fruition and others do not.”
The machine would apparently photograph guests’ feet as they come into the park. Those photos would be put together with voluntarily shared demographic information like name, age, and hometown. The LA Times says, “Later in the park, another camera aimed at shoe level can identify a person at a ride or eatery based on the earlier foot photo.”
So what’s the purpose of something like this? According to Dennis Speigel, president of International Theme Park Services in Cincinnati, “the advantage of the foot camera is that it is a less invasive way to track customers and gather information than taking photographs of faces throughout a park.”
Disney can use the information to have characters greet guests by name, send guests photos of themselves on rides, and track guests movements through the park. Tracking guest flow allows them to have extra cast members at a busy attraction and to cull marketing data based on preferences.
Speigel says, “The more information they have on the guest, the better experience for the guest and the more they know for continued marketing.”
News source: LA Times
Photo credit: Disney Enterprises Inc.
Leah grew up in a little farming town in Illinois, right on the Mississippi River. Her Chicago-born husband, David, left the city for her, and they're now raising their three children (Jacob, Jonah and Lydia) just 12 miles from her hometown. As the Senior Editor of the DIS (wdwinfo.com), Leah spends a lot of time writing about, reading about, and discussing Disney. So, it should come as no surprise that one of her family's favorite ways to spend time is going to Walt Disney World and traveling on Disney Cruise Line. She also enjoys shopping, watching movies with her husband and doing crafts with and for her kids.
