Disney Gets Patent to Start Tracking Park Visitors Through Their Shoes

There were an estimated 2.6 million patent applications filed in 2013, and the numbers have only increased since then. However, one surprising patent has recently been approved, and it’s creeping people out.

Disney recently obtained a patent for a system that would allow its amusement parks to start tracking visitors through their shoes, using a camera-wielding robot.

“The company can already track guests at Walt Disney World who use MagicBands, RFID bracelets that function as theme-park tickets, FastPasses, hotel keys and credit cards,” reported The Orlando Sentinel.

However, this method of tracking would be a little bit different.

The idea behind this strange innovation is to determine which rides are most popular among visitors and which routes are most commonly taken “from ride to ride,” letting Disney create “a customized guest experience,” according to the patent.

However, Disney isn’t the only theme park in the southern U.S. that’s been offering exciting guest experiences.

Located 45 minutes from its sister attraction, the Creation Museum, the newly opened life-sized Noah’s ark replica in Williamstown KY has turned heads and attracted visitors from far and wide, though they’ve been coming in faster than two by two.

The replica brands itself as a “one-of-a-kind, historically themed attraction” for all who attend.

The organization behind the attraction is Answers in Genesis, or AiG, which is headed by Ken Ham, the Australian-born creationist who famously debated Bill Nye the Science Guy in 2014.

The ark comes complete with dinosaurs, life-like renditions of biblical characters Noah and his family, as well as WiFi, air conditioning, and a nearby, 1,500-seat restaurant.

The dimensions of the ark — 510 feet long, 85 feet wide, and 81 feet tall — are nothing short of jaw-dropping. In addition to its sheer size, the interior has three decks, as well as skylights that highlight the interior structure of the boat.

While Disney may not showcase Biblical events, their park visitors may or may not be seeing their shoe-tracking robot in the future.

Spokeswoman Suzi Brown told The Los Angeles Times that “we file many patents annually — some come to fruition and others do not.”

Though Disney assures visitors of the safety and privacy of its potential technology, it hasn’t stopped critics from making foot jokes.