Disney has filed a new patent describing a system that projects animations and imagery directly onto smoke, fog, firework residue, and other drifting, shapeless materials. The system tracks these materials in real time. As they shift and dissipate, cameras and light sources continuously read their size, shape, and density, and the projected content adjusts to match. The concept could turn a fireworks show’s lingering smoke cloud into an entirely new kind of screen. It could also be used for immersive effects within attractions.
Disney’s New Smoke Projection Patent
IN THIS ARTICLE:
- Disney filed a patent for a system that projects content onto smoke, fog, and other drifting materials
- The system uses cameras and light sources to detect shape, size, and density in real time
- Disney describes several potential uses, including secondary fireworks shows and interactive theatrical projections
Titled “Opportunistic Projection Onto Dynamic Light Reflective Material,” the patent comes from Disney Enterprises, Inc. and was published on August 20th. Disney filed paperwork that states the system solves a specific problem with projection technology. Most projection setups rely on fixed surfaces. Buildings, screens, and walls have a known, unchanging shape. Disney’s patent notes that projecting onto surfaces with a constantly changing size, shape, density, or reflectivity has traditionally been far more difficult.
The system centers on what the patent calls “light reflective material.” That is a broad term, covering firework residue, fog, smoke, mist, and low-lying clouds. It can even include suspended debris or balloons. A light source illuminates the material in a given area. Disney’s patent notes the light could be invisible infrared, keeping it hidden from guests. A camera then captures the reflected light. From that, the system determines the material’s shape, size, density, and position.
Based on that captured data, a controller determines what content the system should project. The controller adjusts that content continuously as the material moves or dissipates. Disney filed paperwork that states the system can detect variations in reflectivity across the material. It can then generate a correction matte, an invisible brightness adjustment layer. That matte keeps the visible image looking uniform, even where the smoke or fog is thinner or patchier.
Fireworks Residue, Fog, and Shifting Smoke Clouds
One example in the patent involves residue left behind by air-launched fireworks. Disney describes this residue as capable of lingering in the air for a period of time. That lingering residue could function as a secondary projection surface. In practice, a separate projected sequence could immediately follow a fireworks show, using the smoke the fireworks themselves created. A second, or extended show, if you will.
The patent also describes a system for projecting onto fog from fog machines. This system tracks the fog’s shifting shape, and the projected content adjusts to conform to it as it moves. In one specific implementation, the patent describes a smoke-filled balloon. While intact, the balloon could show a projected character trying to escape a spherical enclosure. The balloon would then be remotely burst, and the entrained smoke would spread into a new, irregular cloud shape. From there, the system would reform the projected character to fit that new, larger space. Disney describes this as potentially dismaying the character within the story. It would appear to be pulling itself back together across a suddenly expanded area.
Another implementation involves multiple floating or suspended screens. The patent refers to these as “floats.” Several floats arranged in a line form what Disney calls an “air train.” The patent also describes a cloud of smoke that randomly splits into multiple parts. A projected character would split to match. One portion of the character’s body might move into a larger section of cloud, while a smaller portion, like a tail, moves into another.
Guest Interaction and Generative AI
Disney also describes an interactive application suited to a smaller-scale theatrical stage show. A guest or performer could interact with the projected content directly. The patent notes the system could detect a gesture, like the wave of a hand or a wand, and modify the projection in response. It could also adjust content based on a guest’s point of view. A projected character could appear to turn its head toward a detected viewer.
The patent notes that the system could use generative artificial intelligence to create or modify images. That would let the projected content generate and reshape on the fly, matching an unpredictable and constantly changing surface.
As with all patents, there is no guarantee this specific system will reach a guest-facing experience. Still, the filing offers a detailed look at how Disney is exploring new possibilities for special effects and projection mapping.
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