March 2024

Cancelation Notice

Unfortunately due to a conflicting meeting the March session of the Fiber Arts Club will be canceled.

Sorry for any inconvenience.

We hope to see you at the next meeting on April 9th, 4-7 pm.

Holotile Floor

Recently Disney Imagineering revealed a new technology developed that can have uses in VR gaming and amusement park experiences. This special floor works like a treadmill but can move in all directions. Multiple people and objects can be on this flooring but can be moved in their own directions. The inventor Lanny Smoot mentions that this holotile floor can also be used in stage productions to move set pieces and performers around the stage. Utilizing disk-shaped tiles this flooring has technology inside of it that can create movement.

The flooring is controlled by special software that responds to LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) sensor readings to determine the direction and speed the disks need to rotate. Lidar uses a light, often a laser to sense and measure the distance that an object is away from the sensor. Lidar technology is commonly used in 3D scanning and by scientific organizations like NOAA and NASA. The software also analyzes and accounts for differences in walking styles and reacts appropriately to safely move users in the programmed environment.

At this time it's uncertain all the possible uses for this new technology but other possibilities are being brainstormed from VR, sports training, and entertainment to maybe even industrial applications. At this time technology is just being shared as a way to honor the inventor Smoot as he is being inducted into the National Hall of Fame. It is exciting to think of the possibilities and we can all look forward to announcements of its implementation in the future. Watch the video below to see the announcement and conversation with Lanny Smoot.

References

Berg, N. (2024, January 1). How a Disney Imagineer designed its magical holotile. Fast Company. https://www.fastcompany.com/91019277/a-disney-imagineer-explains-how-they-made-the-holotile-floor-a-magical-walkway-that-moves-in-any-direction

Burgos, M. (2024, January 25). Disney’s holotile floor moves any person or object like telekinesis for immersive VR gaming. Designboom. https://www.designboom.com/technology/disney-holotile-floor-treadmill-vr-lanny-smoot-01-23-2024/

Disney Parks. (2024, January 18). Disney Imagineer makes history: Disney Parks. YouTube. https://youtu.be/68YMEmaF0rs

What is Lidar and how does it work?. FARO. (n.d.). https://www.faro.com/en/Resource-Library/Article/What-is-Lidar