Disney’s Unique Use of the Cloud

Pushing boundaries on a magical customer experience, the Walt Disney Company continuously looks for new ways to enhance their business infrastructure. Having theme parks worldwide that attract millions of people yearly, the business giant needs to stay up to updated and revolutionary.

To create a more personalized experience for its guests, Disney requested a patent for a system of sensors that can be accessed via cloud computing. The granted patent allows Disney to identify guests based on feet shape and size. Shoes are to be remained on the guest’s feet, so there is no issue of hygiene. As guests become recognized, robots throughout the park are able to greet park goers. These robots have the capacity to greet guests by name and memorize the guests’ hometown, favorite ride, Disney character, and food. Using the cloud’s capabilities, robots can access data for each guest quickly to maximize the amount of park goers that receive this innovative technology.

How do these sensors work?

Incorporated in specified stations, whether it be at a ride, attraction or even a wall, cameras would capture the data of the shoe’s tread pattern, how worn down the shoe is and any stains or gum at the soles of the shoes.

All the data would then be uploaded to the cloud so all sensors park wide can access. Whichever sensor location the guests goes to, the robots will be able to access the guests’ customized preferred experiences. This tracking allows Disney to mine data for visitor preferences and how much foot traffic they are obtaining. This information is useful so they can monitor the guests’ movements from ride to ride to identify the park’s most visited attraction. By monitoring and tracking the movement of visitor’s the park can deploy more employees to the busier areas throughout the park. Any data that reflects the customer’s preferences will benefit the company in their future endeavors to increase customer satisfaction. Marketing purposes will greatly benefit from the type of data collected within the cloud. There are other methods of guest tracking that include fingerprints or eye-scans; however, Disney found these methods too intrusive and invasive.

Although the patent has already been granted, this technology will not be deployed anytime in the near future. According to the Orlando Sentinel, the foot tracking sensors may just be part of their exploration of new technology. In an older technological addition to Disney’s Magic Kingdom park, MagicBands allows guests to gain access to their hotel rooms or park, buy merchandise or food by the simple wristband tap on sensors. With the rise in digital technology, guests can easily access convenience and personalized experiences at their fingertips.

Disney is using a traditional cloud infrastructure and its abilities to support a newly advanced idea. Utilizing the cloud in this instance is the best way to make the feet sensor tracking most efficient. By having all the data uploaded to the cloud, the robots or employees that are designated to greet guests can access information instantly. As they move around the park, greeting thousands of guests a day, it is crucial to have data quickly accessible. This proves the clouds worth and supportive capabilities to withstand an ever changing and advancing world. With the cloud, companies like Disney can scale and add new services of innovation so their customers remain delighted and taken care of.