A cute little orange robot with a yellow safety vest that looks like a “Cars” character could soon wave you into a parking spot using glowing traffic control wands at Disneyland’s Pixar Pals garage.
Disneyland is training AI-powered autonomous robots to help you park your car when you arrive at the Anaheim theme park, according to CNET.
The robotic “Cars” parking aides were showcased during the Disney Accelerator Demo Day event on Tuesday, Nov. 3 at Walt Disney Studios in Burbank.
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Disney has developed robotic parking assistants that look like Pixar characters from the 2006 “Cars” and 2008 “Wall-E” animated films, according to a 30-minute video shown during the Disney Accelerator event.
“Imagine if a character from Cars or robots from Wall-E direct you where to park when you arrive,” Disney Experiences Senior Vice President Gary Daniels said on the video. “The work we are doing now is a great way to see how the robots function and, as important, how people respond.”
Walt Disney Imagineering has been working with the Irvine-based FieldAI engineering company to develop the Disneyland parking lot robots.
Testing of a “Cars” robotic parking aide showcased during the Disney Accelerator Demo Day event at Walt Disney Studios in Burbank. (Video screen grab via the official Walt Disney Company YouTube channel)
FieldAI has experience deploying robots in demanding, unstructured environments with uneven terrain, changing layouts and unexpected obstacles, according to Imagineering R&D Lab Director Doug Fidaleo.
“That’s what drew us to FieldAI,” Fidaleo said on the video. “The park of the future will be teeming with robot characters.”
Concept art of a “Cars” robotic parking aide showcased during the Disney Accelerator Demo Day event at Walt Disney Studios in Burbank. (Video screen grab via the official Walt Disney Company YouTube channel)
FieldAI worked with Imagineering on the BD-1 droids that make appearances in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Disneyland.