Another Disney Drone patent - this time for projections

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Drone Projection patent

Posted: Wednesday February 10, 2016 1:15pm EST by WDWMAGIC Staff

Disney is continuing with its pursuit of patents for the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (drones) for nighttime spectaculars.

A new patent application published last week details how Disney may use drones to carry projection screens.

The patent was originally filed back in July 2014, which shows just how long Disney has been working on the use of drones for entertainment purposes. Whereas previous patents had focused on the use of multiple drones to produce light shows, this latest patent focusses on the use of projectors.

The patent describes:

"A projection assembly for use with a UAV such as quadrotors. The projection assembly includes a projection screen with a rear surface and a front surface, and the projection screen has a level of opacity and/or other physical qualities that enables it to function as a rear-projection surface. The projection assembly includes a vehicle attachment member adapted for coupling with a frame of the UAV, and the projection screen is supported at a first end by the vehicle attachment member. The apparatus includes a projector projecting light and the projected light is directed onto the rear surface of the projection surface to generate a displayed image visible on the front surface. The projection screen can be formed from a mesh sheet with a porosity allowing air to flow through the projections screen."

Drone Projection patent

Along with various drone patents, Disney has also been pursuing an exemption to rules that would allow Disney to operate drones over both Walt Disney World Resort and the Disneyland Resort. A positive ruling would seem to clear the way for Disney to unleash its drone technology for the park's vast array of nighttime shows.

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jt04Nov 07, 2016

Video in other thread looks amazing! I am guessing Sea World will be next as part of their Electric Ocean promotion. So much amazing creativity in the pipeline for central Florida.

jt04Nov 07, 2016

Worse troll bait ever.

DisneyGentlemanV2.0Nov 07, 2016

Droning alredy exists here, even without a permit.

MisterPenguinNov 06, 2016

And a rumored drone show over the waters at Disney Springs.

Mike SNov 06, 2016

Here's a website by our very own @RSoxNo1 that does just that. All the rumors in one spot. Have fun. http://www.wdwthemeparks.com/rumors

EPCOTCenterLoverNov 06, 2016

I would LOVE this!

Phil12Nov 06, 2016

Yes indeed the pollution problems from fireworks at Disneyland are a serious concern. In addition all of WDW is located in the Everglades watershed. As you can see from this Army Corps of Engineers map, the water from WDW flows from central Florida through most of south Florida. It doesn't make a lot of sense to pollute the air and water with toxic heavy metals in an environmentally sensitive watershed.

Magenta PantherNov 06, 2016

Are these drones going to be like that awesome flying dragon? What a crowd-pleaser that was! Listen to the people freak out on that video!

Tim LohrNov 06, 2016

I just want the information without having to join any sites, that's some times called "journalism" but that's a pretty strong word for the internet age

cjkeatingNov 06, 2016

Without seeing the show on paper it does make sense that drones could work well in RoL however the show has been in planning for 3 years, maybe going on for 4 years now so the timeframes for considering drones don't match up. All signs point to drones being used in the next version of Illuminations at Epcot.

Tim LohrNov 06, 2016

I'm having a hard time understanding why the 1 park that can't have fireworks wouldn't use the fancy new drones, but thanks, and it would be great if this site had a "rumor of the week" report like ever other Disney site, so people with better things to do could skip the "hundreds of pages of discussion" which usually amounts to a lot of cynical b.s. with the occasional fact thrown in

cjkeatingNov 06, 2016

Primarily the GPS systems on the floats not working correctly but it seems just about ready to go... there are hundreds of pages of discussion over in the RoL thread.