Disneyland could turn to a team of robots to handle the repetitive backstage task of cleaning the 3D glasses worn by visitors on the Toy Story Midway Mania, Star Tours, Web Slingers and Mickey’s PhilharMagic attractions.
Disneyland conducted a 12-day test using AI-trained autonomous robots that sorted, cleaned and stacked thousands of 3D glasses, according to CNET.
The cleaning robots were showcased during the Disney Accelerator Demo Day event on Tuesday, Nov. 3 at Walt Disney Studios in Burbank.
ALSO SEE: Disneyland testing ‘Cars’ robots as parking lot assistants
Disneyland has been working with the San Francisco-based Physical Intelligence software research startup to test logistics and collect data as the robots learn to sort and clean the 3D glasses, according to CNET.
“This was like a robot internship,” Physical Intelligence technician Sourish Jasti told CNET.
Testing of a cleaning robot sorting 3D glasses 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)
Disneyland has no current plans to launch the technology demonstrated during the Disney Accelerator Demo Day event, according to Disneyland officials.
The cleaning robot experiment through the Disney Accelerator program was an opportunity to explore new ideas and technology, according to Disneyland officials.
The cleaning robots have gripper clamps for hands and cameras for eyes to be able to sort through piles of 3D glasses, according to a 30-minute video shown during the Disney Accelerator event.
The robots placed cleaning trays full of 3D glasses on a rolling conveyor that carried them through the washing and sanitizing process, according to the video.
Testing of a cleaning robot sorting 3D glasses 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)
Untangling the 3D glasses and neatly stacking them in cleaning trays can be a challenging task for the robots, according to Walt Disney Imagineering R&D Executive Nick Blackburn.
“We’ve been able to solve one of the biggest problems for us and also test the limits of the technology,” Blackburn said on the Disney Accelerator video.