Putt-putt-putt … BANG!
That’s a sound that you can hear echoing throughout Tomorrowland virtually all day long. The sound of one Autopia car suddenly smashing into the rear-end of another Autopia.
Sometimes this happens because you’re dealing with an inexperienced driver. Still other times, these collisions occur because … Well … You’re dealing with someone who knows exactly what they’re doing, who deliberately smashes into the car in front of them. Because they thought it might be fun and/or they’re out to avoid the driver that’s just ahead of them.
Whatever the reason that this “accidents” actually occur, this collisions at Disneyland’s “Autopia” as well as at the “Indy Speedway” at WDW’s Magic Kingdom cause considerable wear and tear on the cars. Not to mention all the damage that’s done to the vehicle’s occupants.
I once heard that — over the past 50 years — incidents involving “Autopia” cars is the No. 1 reason that theme park guests have tried to take the Walt Disney Company to court. In an effort to collection damages from rear-end collisions that happened as these people were putt-putt-putting their way around the Tomorrowland track.
Well, in an effort to finally putt … er … “put” an end to all these nuisance lawsuits, the Mouse appears to be considering installing a brand-new technology in each “Autopia” car that would then make it physically impossible for these vehicles to ever rear-end one another.
Don’t believe me? Then take a look at this patent application that the Walt Disney Company filed back over November of 2004. This optical data communications system (which was reportedly originally invented by Ronald Howard Olch) initially doesn’t seem to be something that would have all that many uses in a theme park environment. Ah — but if you continue to dig deep down into the application — you’ll eventually come across this intriguing passage:
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0027] As mentioned above, one application for the optical data communication method of the present invention is to provide communications directly between vehicles for purposes of maintaining distance and required closing speed. In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a speedway ride system utilizes the optical data communication method of the present invention to communicate speed from each leading vehicle to the vehicle behind it so that the vehicles do not collide with each other.
[0028] The speedway racing system comprises a plurality of vehicles operated by guests traveling simultaneously on a plurality of tracks. It is desired to prevent guests from colliding with other vehicles, since collisions can cause injuries. Collisions can be avoided by ensuring that the speed of a vehicle is not sufficiently fast to catch up to the vehicle ahead of it and hit it. Such collisions can be detected and prevented if each vehicle knows the speed of the vehicle ahead of it, as well as the distance to the vehicle ahead of it. The distance is computed from the difference of its own position on the track and the received position of the leading vehicle.
[0029] Therefore, in an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, it is desired that each vehicle transmits its position on the track and its velocity to the vehicle directly behind it on the same track. The trailing vehicle then makes calculations based on its own position on the track and its current velocity to detect whether or not it will collide with the vehicle ahead of it. Based on these calculations, the on-board computer may prevent the guest from increasing the speed of the vehicle, or take necessary measures to avoid a collision.
“Now how exactly would this be accomplished?,” you ask. Well, here’s another quote from the patent application:
[0031] Each vehicle is further outfitted with an on-board computer. The on-board computer regularly communicates the vehicle’s current velocity and position data to the optical transmitter for transmission to the trailing vehicle. Each vehicle’s velocity is derived from an encoder or tachometer in communication with the engine of the vehicle. The on-board computer is also responsible for processing data received at the receiver from other vehicles.
I’m told that the Imagineers are initially looking to have this system (or a system quite similar to this) placed in the ride vehicles that are being prepped for the “Cars” attraction which is supposed to go into Walt Disney Studios – Paris as part of that theme park’s “Toon Studios” expansion project. Once that installation is complete (More importantly, once WDI gets the chance to see how this anti-collision technology actually works in the field), Hong Kong Disneyland — which is supposed to have its own “Cars”-themed Autopia up & running before that theme park celebrates its second birthday — should be the next “Magic Kingdom” to benefit from this brand-new system.
After that … Well, it’s currently up in the air as to whether it’ll be Disneyland or WDW’s Magic Kingdom that will be the first stateside Disney theme park to have this anti-collision technology installed in its “Autopia” attraction.
Just so you know, though: A number of theme parks around the United States already have anti-collision systems installed in their “Autopia” -like attractions. But typically, the ride vehicles that we’re talking about here run off of batteries. So that — when one car just gets too close to another vehicle on that track — the on-board sensor just reduces the amount of current that’s going to the engine and that car automatically slows down.
Whereas Disney … In spite of the obvious enviromental concerns linked to the vehicles that they already use, the Imagineers would still like to stick with the gasoline-powered cars that the Walt Disney Company currently uses at the two stateside “Autopia” attractions. Why For? Well … Even with the recent rise in gas prices, the Mouse still feels that it’s cheaper to operate & maintain a fleet of these sorts of cars. Rather than lay out all the money necessary to change over Disneyland’s “Autopia” and WDW’s Magic Kingdom’s “Indy Speedway” to an attraction that only makes use of battery-powered vehicles.
Plus — according to surveys that Disney has done over the years — theme park guests still consider that “putt-putt-putt” noise to be a crucial part of the whole “Autopia” experience. So — at least for the forseeable future — the Mouse will be sticking with the internal combustion engine at its stateside theme parks.
Anyway … To pick up where we left off … No decision has officially been made yet as to whether it’ll be Disneyland or Walt Disney World that will first benefit from this new anti-collision technology. But what I CAN tell you is that Mickey’s attornies are pushing for this system to be installed in both stateside theme parks ASAP. So that the Walt Disney Company can then say “Goodbye” forever to a specific sort of nuisance lawsuit.
Sooo … If you get a “BANG!” out of rear-ending the car that’s directly in front of you as you “putt-putt-putt” around the Autopia track, you’d better get in those collisions while you still can. For — someday soon — car crashes may be a part of Tomorrowland’s past.
Your thoughts?