Disneyland Tests ‘Cars’ Robots That Wave Families Into Parking Spots

Disney is testing small robots designed to look like characters from Pixar’s “Cars” that would guide drivers into spaces at Disneyland’s Pixar Pals parking garage in Anaheim, California. One prototype is orange, wears a yellow safety vest and waves glowing traffic wands.

Families heading to the park should not expect to see them soon. Disneyland officials said there are no current plans to roll out the technology, according to The Mercury News and the Orange County Register. The robots are an experiment for now.

Where the robots were shown

Disney presented the parking helpers on Tuesday, Nov. 3, at its Disney Accelerator Demo Day at Walt Disney Studios in Burbank. A 30-minute video played at the event showed robot assistants modeled on Pixar characters from “Cars,” released in 2006, and “Wall-E,” released in 2008. The tech site CNET first reported that Disneyland is training the AI-powered machines, which move and make decisions on their own, to help visitors park.

In the video, Gary Daniels, a senior vice president at Disney Experiences, asked viewers to picture a character from either film pointing them to a spot when they pull in. He said the current work shows how the robots function and also how people respond to them, according to the reports.

Who is building them

Walt Disney Imagineering, the company’s design and engineering arm, is developing the robots with FieldAI, an engineering firm based in Irvine, California. Doug Fidaleo, who directs Imagineering’s research and development lab, said in the video that FieldAI has put robots to work in messy, unpredictable places with uneven ground, shifting layouts and surprise obstacles.

“That’s what drew us to FieldAI,” Fidaleo said. He also said the park of the future will be “teeming with robot characters.”

The two companies have worked together before. FieldAI helped Imagineering with the BD-1 droids that appear in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Disneyland.

What it means for families visiting Disneyland

For now, nothing changes for visitors. Parking at Disneyland works the way it did before the demo, and the park has not set any date for robot helpers.

Disneyland officials described the test as a way to learn what new technology could do to improve the guest experience. Parking is where a family’s park day starts, and Disney is using it to see how guests react to robot characters before anything reaches the public.

The project runs through the Disney Accelerator program. Disney has not said how many robots were tested, how long trials will run or what they would cost.

Robots already in the parks

Characters that move on their own are not new at Disneyland. The BD-1 droids built with FieldAI’s help already make appearances in Galaxy’s Edge, the Star Wars land. The “Cars” parking robots would bring the same idea to a part of the visit that families usually just want to get through quickly. Fidaleo’s comment suggests Imagineering sees more robot characters ahead, though Disneyland has made no announcement about future ones.

Sources: The Mercury News, Orange County Register