Day 8: Back to the Tower

The group outside of Rokin' Roller Coaster

Hey guys! It's Jamie and Alex covering today's post. We'll take you through this morning's class, project time, and afternoon in Hollywood Studios.

RFID, Infrared, and Animatronics:
We took a break from our recent lectures on modeling and graph theory to talk about the technology behind many of the things that disney does well.

First up, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID). This is the tech behind the Magic Bands that Disney has implemented within the past several years. An antenna sends a signal to a transmitter in the band which in turn sends a data burst back to the receiver that includes your ID. A computer can then bring up your payment information, reservations, fastpasses and many other things. The Magic Bands have both a near and far field transmitter so that sensitive information can pass through a short range or basic information like your name can be recognised from a greater range. This is used to display your name on screens around rides. The Rockin' Roller Coaster that we visited today is a good example of this application of far field RFID.

Lindsay's Magic Band tells the display 
her name and where she is from

Apparently, Dr. Harris is a real hit

Infrared is used mainly for security monitoring and statistic gathering. Instead of classic turnstiles, most disney attractions have an infrared gate that tracks how many people pass through. Further, infrared cameras are used throughout the park to keep surveillance in dimly lit areas such as dark rides.

Animatronics have been a big part of disney from the beginning, but the audio-animatronics that are used throughout the parks debuted in the 60's with the Enchanted Tiki Room, It's a Small World, and a life sized model of Abraham Lincoln. These designs have been dramatically improved since then and more modern attractions can manage stunning emulations of living people.

Project Work:

After class, we got back to work on our OR projects, and my group (Jamie) made some very good progress. We finally have a model to present to our classmates. Whether we can write it in a way that a computer can solve remains to be seen.

At work finishing our project.

HOLYWOOOOOD!

After a break to finish up our projects, the group headed to Hollywood Studios for some free time! We spent a lot of the afternoon using FastPasses to ride some of our favorite attractions and see a new show. We started at Rockin’ Roller Coaster, but one time just wasn’t enough. The group ended up going back again but instead of waiting in the normal line, we went to the single rider line.

0 to 60 in just under 3 seconds will do this to you

We have figured out by now that while it is nice sometimes to ride as a group, the single rider line is very fast and convenient, even sometimes quicker than FastPass. Our next stop on the agenda was Indiana Jones show, a show which mimicked being backstage as the movie crew shot stunts for the classic movie. We then went from one Harrison Ford movie to another: Star Wars. We all went through a minimum wait line for Star Wars Tours. Our group then headed to Tower of Terror.

In front of the Tower of Terror

Just like Rockin’ Roller Coaster, one time just was not enough. While for some of us (including me, Alex), the faces made on the photos are not planned. However for many, it’s always fun to plan a pose for the pictures!

The whole group trapped in the Twilight Zone

Around dinnertime, the group broke off to either ride more rides or grab a bite to eat. We met up an hour or so later to ride Toy Story Mania while the line was minimum. Remember how we’ve mentioned a few times that our group was super competitive? The competition is still on. While I (Alex) may have beaten my personal record, I fell short of the winner: 189, 800 points. After the ride, we all walked back to Hollywood Scoops to get ice cream or ice cream sandwiches. This was the time too when a few of us broke off to ride Tower of Terror one last time for the day! The ride was a lot different in the dark than during the day, especially when the ride gets stuck for at least 10 seconds.

Part of the group rides Tower of Terror after sunset

The fun for the day ended when we all realized that we needed to make a run to the grocery store once we got back. All in all, it ended up being another magical day in Disney and we're excited to present our projects tomorrow and meet some of Team Disney! Stay tuned for more math and the mouse!

Written By

Alex

Jamie