Walt Disney Imagineer Lanny Smoot will soon be inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame, and Disney Parks shared a new video highlighting some of his best work.
The Details
Smoot owns 106 patents, and is the first Disney employee to be inducted since Walt Disney, who was honored posthumously for the multiplane camera.
His work has developed interactive experiences, new ride vehicles, and so much more.
Among Smoot’s many Disney innovations since he joined the Company in 1998, is the “Where’s the Fire?” attraction, which was at EPCOT from 2004 through 2014. By aiming “X-ray flashlights” at the walls of life-sized model rooms, guests saw wall surfaces “melt” away to reveal safety hazards, learning how to make their own homes safer.
Smoot also holds patents on many other interactive systems including the “Interactive Koi Ponds” at the Crystal Lotus Restaurant at the Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel, and the Power City interactive attraction at EPCOT’s Spaceship Earth.
To encourage repeat visits, Smoot helped develop technologies for some of the first interactive scavenger hunts at Disney Parks, including “Kim Possible: World Showcase Adventure” at EPCOT, and “Fortress Explorations” at Tokyo DisneySea.
For Disney Cruise Line, Smoot helped create the interactive, multi-paneled floor surfaces that magically respond to children’s movements.
Prior to Disney, Smoot patented some of the very first fiber-optic technologies to be widely used in the Bell Telephone network, as well as developing and patenting early video streaming and teleconferencing systems.
The recipient of three Thea Awards from the Themed Entertainment Association (TEA), Smoot was named a TEA Master in 2020. He is a Disney Research Fellow, the highest technical honor at the company, and in 2021, he earned his 100th career patent — a first for anyone at Disney.
The 2024 National Inventors Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will be held on May 9, 2024, at The Anthem in Washington, D.C.
The Video
In this video, Smoot, the Imagineer behind mind-blowing special effects like making Madame Leota float inside the “Haunted Mansion,” and the state-of-the-art lightsaber created for the Galactic Starcruiser, among other innovations, is congratulated for his upcoming honor.
Then Smoot shows off some of his new inventions like the HoloTile floor, which allows a user to walk in any direction while the floor adjusts to keep them in the center. Smoot says this tech could be used for dance routines and other performances.
Take a look at this amazing man’s work: