'Star Wars' Land at Disneyland is Getting Interactive Droids
Just don't expect them to pick up your garbage. They're not Roombas.
Kids love the shit out of robots, which makes it a winning idea for Disneyland and Walt Disney World, both of which are planning massive Star Wars-themed attractions, to have droids from that universe wander the park.
A new video on the YouTube channel DAPs Magic is of a droid nicknamed “Jake” wandering the Star Wars Launch Bay at Disneyland in Anaheim, California. The lil’ guy is fittingly cute, but what’s most impressive is the technology that just makes him feel “alive.” Still unclear is whether he’s controlled remotely by someone, or if autonomous, like an adorable space Roomba. Either way, it’s pretty next level.
It seems Disney’s Imagineers are experimenting both with the technology and how attendees behave around it. So far, it seems even kids are chill with them. This could have been another ticketed attraction, with long lines to get a picture with R2-D2 and BB-8, but instead Disney seems to want to “populate” their parks and give it a key important texture.
The tech is certainly impressive, but not entirely new, especially not to Disney. Their parks have had interactive robots for several years now, such as Wall-E, but his cumbersome, bulky frame didn’t make him suitable to traverse the park on his own (as we’re assuming the Star Wars droids will be).
Construction for Star Wars Land (official name TBA) began on April 14; the completion date is as of yet unannounced.
