Disney’s HoloTile: innovative platform from Lanny Smoot
The HoloTile floor is a dynamic interface designed to make virtual reality more immersive.
It was invented by Disney Imagineer, Lanny Smoot, who has 106 patents and was recently inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame, joining Thomas Edison, Nikola Tesla and Walt Disney.
Lanny's HoloTile is a modular, omnidirectional floor comprised of oscillating blue tiles. Each tile, a self-contained actuation system, tracks your location, movements, tilts to guide your movements and pushes you.
These tiles are angled discs which vibrate to alter the friction between its surface and the user's shoes. These vibrations help grip the soles of your shoes while also rotating to slide you away from the direction you're heading.
The obvious application is for VR gaming, but we could see it in interactive Disney rides or films. Applications in other industries are speculation, but perhaps it could be used in the medical industry, like rehabilitation programs.
If this technology could be scaled down, I wonder if it could be applied to products aside from flooring. Perhaps small vehicles that move in any direction or shoes that propel you with each step and communicate directions through haptic feedback.
Regardless, it looks like a great step towards “Ready Player One”-esk VR experiences.
