NEWS: Universal Files Patent for Customizable Ride Experience

It’s a pretty great time to be a fan of Universal Orlando.

DreamWorks Land just opened at the original park, and Epic Universe will bring How To Train Your Dragon: Isle of Berk, Super Nintendo World, Celestial Park, Dark Universe, and The Wizarding World of Harry Potter: Ministry of Magic. And, it looks like even more new attractions could be on the way, too!

We’re always on the hunt for the latest and greatest technologies coming to the theme parks, and we recently spotted an interesting patent. Universal Studios has filed a patent for “Choreographed Ride Systems and Methods,” — an addendum to a previous patent — that would give folks a customized experience as they interact with it.

The full description of the patent can be found below:

“A ride vehicle includes a riding assembly configured to carry a rider, a base configured to couple to the riding assembly, and a control system configured to control the coordination of movements of the ride vehicle with movements of separate ride vehicles. The base includes a surface movement system configured to move the ride vehicle along a surface, a vertical movement system configured to move the riding assembly vertically relative to the base, and a roll system configured to move the riding assembly angularly relative to the base.”

Essentially, it sounds like the ride vehicles would be able to “adjust a trajectory or traveled course of the ride vehicle” based on certain factors like rider weight, obstacles, and rider input.

“For example, if the rider selects a theme related to birds or aircraft, the ride path of the ride vehicle may simulate the flight of a bird or aircraft.” Additional preferences could be given via rider inputs like choosing characters, languages, and others.

According to the Orlando Business Journal, “The technical sophistication of the ride system is evident in its ability to adapt in real time based on rider inputs and system feedback. Sensors track the positions of the vehicles, enabling the control system to make instant adjustments to maintain the planned choreography and ensure safety.”

OBJ also spoke with Dennis Speigel, CEO of International Theme Park Services, who said, “On any ride, you get a crosscut of demographics from children and teens to young adults and older adults, and different people are looking for different experiences.”

“If I liked the ride at level one, how am I going to feel at level four? That’s going to bring me back to the same ride for a different experience,” Speigel said.

Universal recently filed another ride patent called “Attraction System for Amusement Park.” This is for dynamic seating that would develop a kind of seating system on rides where the seat creates a sensation of movement, even if the rider is stationary.

And, this dynamic seating also features controls that the rider can use to move the seat around.

These two patents combined have us very excited about what Universal is planning behind the scenes! A ride vehicle you can control, with preferences and settings you can customize so you come back again and again? Sign us up!

If you’re looking for a travel agent to help with your vacation, we recommend our friends at Mouse Fan Travel. They’re experts in the field with over 20 years of vacation planning experience, and they can help take a bunch of the stress out of the entire booking process for you!

In the meantime, make sure you stay tuned to AllEars for the latest updates from Universal Orlando and more!