News Disney Files New Patent for Ride System That Can Lift and Reposition Vehicles Mid-Attraction

[DisneyDodo]

Everyone keeps saying it could be the secondary ride, but this feels like an answer to the main attraction? You can position the arm away from the main guest point of view when they're seated, this allows you to feel like the car would be traversing the dirt path naturally, avoiding objects, hitting jumps, etc? It really wouldn't be that hard to hide the arm in the load/unload areas.

others have mentioned kuka arm rides, which easily hide their arms in load/unload

The cars will be visible to others from other places as well

 

[Jambo Dad]

Interesting - happy to see innovation ideas. I wonder if the application intends to hide the arm from the riders somehow.

 

[networkpro]

Interesting - happy to see innovation ideas. I wonder if the application intends to hide the arm from the riders somehow.

Hopefully better than the Donkey Kong coaster arm.

 

[Mr. Engagement]

Quoting myself from the Piston Peak thread because I’m interested in discussion about the patent and possible applications:

I can see it being more elegant than that. As others have mentioned, it's very similar to kuka-arm coasters like HP Forbidden Journey at UIoA. But instead of the ride vehicle always "floating in air" (being suspended from the kuka arm), Disney's patent might make it possible for the vehicle to be in contact with the surface of the race track.

In the image below, imagine the arm is attached to the back bumper area of the ride vehicle. In this position, it would work a lot like Radiator Springs Racers- the vehiclerides on the "dirt" road, but it's propelled by the arm, which is connected to a track below the surface.
View attachment 907700

Then, as the vehicle runs alongside a wall/cliff, the under-road coaster track routes to beside the car (Figs 6 in the patent), with the arm protruding from a slot in the wall. In this position, the car is still "on the road," but now it can be lifted/shifted by the arm for a jump or obstacle avoidance (Fig 9).

Because it's attached to the back of the vehicle (Figs 7 & 8 ), it would mostly be out of view for the rider.

I have no idea what I'm talking about. Just having fun imagining applications of the patent for the Piston Peak ride.

A few people in that thread thought the patent would be limited to indoor or spinner rides, like the old Kangaroo ride, but the patent makes me think it’s much more robust and would allow for a broad variety of applications.

From the patent:

“A ride system may include a ride vehicle configured to move along a ride path adjacent a track, and an arm coupled to the ride vehicle. The ride vehicle may be movable separately from the arm. The ride vehicle may include features to support the ride vehicle on a ride surface of the ride path, such that the ride vehicle may follow the ride’s terrain.

The arm may articulate (e.g., move between positions) to adjust a position of the ride vehicle relative to the ride path. The arm may adjust the lateral and/or vertical position of the ride vehicle along the ride. The ride system may include a chassis coupled to the track, and the arm may be coupled to the chassis. The arm may be extendable and pivotable relative to the chassis, such that to adjust the position of the ride vehicle as the chassis rides along the track.”

Thoughts?

 

[Jon81uk]

This feels a bit like Disney have made a better version of Universal’s Donkey Kong mine cart.