Disney patents “scent blending” to create more immersive attractions

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soarin disney

Credit: Disney

When we think of Disney Parks, delicious scents almost always come to mind — the smell of fresh baked goods on Main Street, U.S.A., orange groves and fresh cut grass on Soarin’, the distinctive scents of Flight of Passage, and so many more. The amazing and memorable scents at Disney Parks are what make them so unique and immersive. And it looks like Disney agrees, since the company just patented a new type of scent technology.

main street usa
Credit: Disney

Disney filed a recent patent for something called “scent blending,” a technology that is meant to provide “time-varying scent effects in a scripted entertainment event.” Essentially, this technology will disperse scents in a way that allows for transitions between scenes, such as one scent lessening in intensity as another scent becomes stronger.

disney patent
Credit: World Intellectual Property Organization

This is how the patent describes the new scent blending technology:

Unlike conventional scent augmentation systems and methods that try to overpower and replace unpleasant odors, this disclosure describes methods and systems for artistically delivering scent in a manner that creates a representation of a physical space and physical objects that are represented in the entertainment experience.

The olfactory transition may heighten the entertainment experience, such as immersing a participant in an environment displayed on a screen or surrounding a participant position (such as on a ride) and transitioning the senses of the participant from element to element (e.g., displayed first location to displayed second location).

We’re not sure if this technology will be used in an existing Disney Parks attraction or a new one, since this information isn’t disclosed in the patent. However, we could totally see how this technology would be useful in an attraction like Soarin’ Around the World at Epcot and Disney California Adventure. Imagine how much more immersive each scene could be if the transitions from scent to scent between countries was less abrupt. We could also see this technology utilized in Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure coming soon to Epcot. Picture yourself shrunk down to the size of Remy and taking so many different scents of amazing French dishes all at once!

remy's rataouille adventure
Credit: Disney

Even beyond using this technology in attractions, it would be awesome if it was used on Main Street, U.S.A. or in other areas of the Disney Parks! As fans who look forward to those specific Disney scents every time we visit, we think this sounds pretty great.

What do you think of this new patent filed by Disney? Do you think it will be used in an existing attraction, a recently announced attraction that’s coming soon, or an attraction we’ve never even heard of yet? Let us know in the comments!

Source: Bizjournals

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