Disney secures patents for smoke projection and advanced animatronics

The Walt Disney Company has been granted new patents detailing advanced projection mapping and animatronic technologies. One patent, titled “Opportunistic Projection Onto Dynamic Light Reflective Material,” describes a system capable of projecting images onto shifting, non-solid mediums such as smoke, mist, vapor, or firework residue. The system utilizes cameras and sensors to track the density and movement of these materials in real time, allowing a controller to adjust the projected content to maintain visual integrity on the drifting surfaces.

Additionally, Disney has filed patents regarding projection-mapped audio-animatronic faces, building upon technology recently debuted in the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction. These filings detail a “dynamic mechanical skin” designed to replace traditional rigid shells with continuous, seamless surfaces made of materials like silicone or self-healing elastomers. This skin is manipulated by internal actuators to create facial expressions. The technology also includes UV-reactive markers and alignment systems to ensure precise projection mapping onto the moving mechanical structures.