Abstract: Disney has a lot of resources at its disposal, and has the time and money to build avant-garde equipment. Their participation will inevitably bring new hope to the XR industry.
Not long ago, Disney's holotile device made headlines. This is a prototype treadmill that acts as a VR input, allowing different users to walk in a shared virtual environment without the need for a controller.
Disney's Holotile omnidirectional treadmill allows the user to stop and go on it, and the machine transforms the user's stride into an XR experience. Unlike other all-around treadmill products, this device can support multiple users.
Disney seems intent on making this product a feature in its theme parks. However, this product has a wide range of coverage and may have other uses. It's worth noting that Disneyland has also experimented with XR before, exploring new models of customer engagement, marketing, and advertising.
Disney Research highlighted the device in a YouTube segment. Disney Research is responsible for developing innovative emerging technologies. Disney researcher and Imagineering engineer Lanny Smoot shows off the device in **.
"I can walk on it, in any direction, and it will automatically adjust," says Lanny Smoot. The magic is that multiple people can walk on it at the same time without interfering with each other. ”
He also said: Imagine that many people are in one room and they can go to another place at the same time for sightseeing. Imagine a theatrical stage embedded in such a product, on which dancers can perform amazing movements. As a result, this type of technology is very versatile, and we don't yet know where it will be used. ”
Disney has made a strong mark on the XR equipment market in its own unique way, and XR optical technology will follow suit. Now that Apple's Vision Pro is on the market, XR devices are likely to become mainstream this year.
A few years ago, the metaverse and Meta Quest dominated the headlines of XR coverage, but with the entry of Apple and Disney — and, of course, other big players like Sony, Google, and Samsung — the entry of these companies could spark a whole new wave of XR investment. XR is likely to become mainstream again, and enterprise XR businesses are likely to gain more support.
Disney's XR History
To some, Disney's entry into the XR hardware space with Holotile may seem a bit unexpected; However, the opposite is true – albeit with many twists and turns.
Since 2022, Disney has been working on various XR programs, helping to build start-ups, and developing Disney-branded XR entertainment services on its own.
In June 2022, Disney hired Mark Bozon as vice president of creative experiences for next-generation storytelling, with the aim of driving Disney metaverse content and services – something that was popular at the time.
Mark Bozon and Disney.
Soon after, Disney launched a Web3 acceleration program to incubate XR startups, including companies and solutions such as Polygon Studios, Flickplay, Lockerverse, InWorld, Obess, and Red 6.
Disney launched its recruiting and accelerator program in 2022 in an attempt to catch the metaverse craze, joining forces with partners like Snap and Apple to launch AR streaming** and other XR services.
Disney's partnership with Snap.
Things have changed in 2023. Disney reportedly laid off about 7,000 jobs after the metaverse boom cooled down, with dire consequences for its metaverse division — on top of that, Disney spent most of the year in XR on hold.
Holotile could be a sign that Disney is catching up with the current trend of XR devices. There are many other companies in the space, but most are developing headsets, and Disney is doing something that no one else has been involved in, which should be a smart move. No other company is doing an omnidirectional treadmill.
While Holotile can be easily used at Disneyland, Disney has not tested it with other companies. Will this device make Disney unique in the market, or will it fail like its metaverse plans? We will be able to see by the end of this year whether history will repeat itself.
On the other hand, some XR prototypes may be just a simple concept demonstration and may be years away from being actually launched. A similar example is Google's Starline project, which debuted in 2021 and aims to reinvent remote meetings, but is still in development.
Disney has a lot of resources at its disposal, and it has the time and money to build cutting-edge equipment. Their participation will inevitably bring new hope to the XR industry.
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