Bossip
Video
Black
brilliance!
Source:
Disney
Legendary
inventor
Lanny
Smoot
is
making
history
as
the
first
Disney
Imagineer
to
be
inducted
into
the
National
Inventors
Hall
Of
Fame
The
brilliant
mind
behind
Madame
Leota’s
floating
head
inside
the
Haunted
Mansion,
state-of-the
art
Star
Wars
lightsabers,
the
Magic
Playfloor
interactive
game
experience
on
the
Disney
Cruise
Line,
and
much
more
is
only
the
second
person
from
The
Walt
Disney
Company
to
be
inducted.
The
first?
Walt
Disney,
of
course,
who
was
honored
posthumously
for
the
multiplane
camera.
For
over
45
years,
Lanny
has
worked
as
a
theatrical
technology
creator,
inventor,
electrical
engineer,
scientist
and
researcher
while
racking
up
over
100
patents.
74
of
his
patents
were
created
during
his
25
years
at
The
Walt
Disney
Company.
“At
Disney
Experiences,
we’re
committed
to
world-class
storytelling,
creativity
and
innovation
in
everything
we
do,
and
Lanny
Smoot
embodies
every
one
of
those
ideals,”
said
Josh
D’Amaro,
Chairman,
Disney
Experiences.
“As
Disney’s
most
prolific
inventor,
Lanny
continues
to
amaze
all
of
us
with
his
artistic
ingenuity,
technical
expertise
and
endless
imagination.”
Lanny
has
been
instrumental
in
creating
iconic
special
effects
and
technical
advancements
at
our
theme
parks
and
experiences
around
the
world.
Source:
Disney
When
deciding
which
of
his
patents
to
list
for
his
National
Inventors
Hall
of
Fame
induction,
Lanny
chose
“Where’s
the
Fire?”
at
Innoventions
previously
featured
at
EPCOT.
This
interactive
exhibit
educated
guests
on
fire
safety
and
the
importance
of
fire
prevention
through
engaging
challenges.
Guests
were
able
to
“shine”
a
special
flashlight
on
the
walls
of
a
house
and,
through
the
magic
of
Lanny’s
technology,
could
spot
fire
dangers
while
learning
to
prevent
these
from
happening
in
the
future.
“As
a
life-long
inventor,
I
am
excited,
delighted,
and
humbled
to
be
inducted
into
the
National
Inventors
Hall
of
Fame,”
he
said.
“To
be
included
alongside
my
childhood
hero,
Thomas
Edison,
and
my
lifelong
role
model,
Jim
West
—
the
inventor
of
the
electret
microphone,
is
both
exciting
and
humbling.
And
as
someone
who’s
had
the
privilege
of
working
at
The
Walt
Disney
Company,
it’s
especially
meaningful
to
know
that
Walt
Disney
himself
is
also
an
inductee.”
Lanny
is
the
recipient
of
many
awards
and
honors,
including
three
Thea
Awards
from
the
Themed
Entertainment
Association
(TEA)
for
his
work
on
attractions
like
Finding
Nemo
Submarine
Voyage,
Kim
Possible:
World
Showcase
Adventure,
and
the
Ghost
Post
experience.
His
expertise
in
theatrical
technology
also
earned
him
the
esteemed
title
of
TEA
Master
in
2020.
Source:
Disney
Prior
to
joining
Disney,
Lanny
completed
his
bachelor’s
and
master’s
degrees
in
electrical
engineering
at
Columbia
University.
He
then
worked
at
Bell
Labs
and
later
at
Bell
Communications
Research
where
he
was
a
pioneering
force
in
the
early
development
of
video-on-demand
technology,
video
conferencing,
and
specialized
television
systems
for
remote
locations,
among
other
notable
patents.
Currently,
he’s
working
on
the
HoloTile
floor–the
world’s
first,
and
only,
multi-person,
omni-directional,
modular,
expandable,
treadmill
floor
where
any
number
of
people
can
have
a
shared
virtual
reality
experience
and
walk
an
unlimited
distance
in
any
direction
but
never
collide
or
walk
off
its
surface.
Besides
the
immediate
VR
and
gaming
applications
and
potential
theme
park
uses,
the
HoloTile
floor
allows
performers
to
move
and
dance
in
new
ways
or
stage
props
and
structures
that
move
around
or
appear
to
set
themselves
up.
Check
out
a
sneak
peek
at
the
impressive
tech
below:
