Zone-Based Drone–Toy Correlation for Dynamic Interactive Reactions

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Solution Overview

Problem

Traditional interactive attractions in amusement parks are technologically limited, leading to redundant, generic, and simplistic immersive experiences.

Innovation Solution

An interactive drone system that includes a drone maneuverable across zones and interactive toy devices configured to react based on proximity, location, and non-position based physical attributes, using sensors and controllers to determine correlations and trigger specific reactions.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If traditional interactive attractions are used, then the technology is simple and easy to implement, but the immersive experience becomes redundant, generic, and simplistic

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveimmersive experience varietyVSAvoidsystem complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system uses a single drone that can perform multiple functions - it can interact with different toy devices, fly to various locations within zones, and trigger different reactions based on its actions. This multi-functional approach enables diverse immersive experiences without requiring multiple separate systems for each interaction type

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Solution Approach 2:

The system dynamically determines toy reactions based on real-time factors including the drone's location within zones, proximity to toy devices, and non-position based physical attributes. This dynamic decision-making process ensures that each interaction is unique and adaptive, preventing redundant and generic experiences while maintaining manageable system complexity through rule-based logic

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

2Adaptability or versatility

If drone interactions are based on multiple factors (location, proximity, physical attributes), then the experience becomes more personalized and varied, but the processing complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveinteraction varietyVSAvoidprocessing complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system segments the interaction decision-making into distinct components: location determination (which zone the drone is in), proximity assessment (distance to toy devices), and physical attribute matching (comparing drone and toy characteristics). This segmentation allows the processor to handle each factor separately and combine them systematically, reducing overall processing complexity while maintaining interaction variety

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The system uses identifiers and stored profiles that copy essential characteristics of drones and toy devices without requiring continuous analysis of all physical attributes. By storing pre-defined reaction sets associated with specific attribute combinations, the system efficiently determines interactions through lookup and matching rather than complex real-time computation

Inventive Principle:
Principle #26Copying

Data Source

PatentEP4243950B1System and method for interactive drone experience
Publication Date: 2025.07.16 UNIVERSAL CITY STUDIOS LLC
  • EP4243950B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4243950B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP4243950B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

An entertainment system includes a drone configured to be maneuvered across a plurality of zones, an interactive toy device configured to be actuated to cause a plurality of toy reactions, one or more processors, and one or more non-transitory, computer readable media having instructions stored thereon. The instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to determine a correlation between the drone and the interactive toy device, where the correlation is based on a proximity between the drone and the interactive toy device and at least one of: a location of the drone within a zone of the plurality of zones, an additional location of the interactive toy device within the zone or an additional zone of the plurality of zones, a non-position based physical attribute of the drone, or an additional non-position based physical attribute of the interactive toy device. The instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to activate, based on the correlation, a toy reaction of the plurality of toy reactions.