Disney, a multinational entertainment and media conglomerate, has reportedly secured a patent at the tail end of 2021 that will likely be instrumental in bringing interactive virtual reality to its theme part guests and suggests that a metaverse push is imminent.
Key takeaways:
- Disney was approved for a “virtual-world simulator in a real-world venue” patent on December 28, four months after the filing was initially submitted to the US Patent and Trademark Office.
- According to the patent filing, Disney is working on an augmented reality (AR) product that will combine virtual reality elements with “a map of a geometry of a real-world venue.”
- Contrary to most metaverse solutions that exist entirely in a virtual world, Disney is seemingly trying to bring the benefits of virtual reality to the physical world by tracking users’ movements to project a digital layer over real-world objects.
- The concept of AR was ushered into the mainstream by tech giant Microsoft in 2015, with the announcement of a $3,500 HoloLens AR headset.
- Disney’s first foray into the blockchain industry dates all the way back to 2014 when it created a hybrid chain called Dragonchain, which was later open-sourced and made available to the public.
- In November 2020, the head of Digital and Technology for Disney Parks Tilak Mandadi first hinted at the possible convergence of real and digital worlds in the near future. “Connected park experiences that transcend the physical and digital barrier and unlock new layers of storytelling are a very exciting focus of ours,” commented Mandadi.
- Last November, Disney CEO Bob Chapek talked about the metaverse plans during the Q4 earnings call: “We’ll be able to connect the physical and digital worlds even more closely, allowing for storytelling, without boundaries in our own Disney Metaverse.”
- Although it seems Disney has been developing the metaverse theme park for quite some time, the new product is apparently not yet ready for prime time. On Friday, when speaking to the LA Times, Disney officials said “they have no immediate plans to use the technology.”
- The metaverse sector has been one of the more active fields of development in recent months. Click here, to follow the latest price updates on cryptocurrency projects focused on the metaverse.
