Disney recently published a patent that has some very interesting potential applications. The Patent is titled “Interactive Multiplane Display System With Transparent Transmissive Layers” and can be simply described as a multi dimensional screen.
Back in the 1930s, Walt Disney forever changed animation with the use of the Multiplane camera to film animated feature films. This camera allowed for the otherwise 2d drawings to have a sense of depth that couldn’t be achieved otherwise.
This “multiplane” screen uses a similar premise that the Multiplane camera, with multiple transparent displays showing different parts of the same image/video. This creates a sense of depth that can fool the viewer into thinking the images displayed on the screen are farther away than they actually are.
A screen like this could be used as a “fake window’ at the upcoming Star Wars Hotel or the upcoming Space Restaurant at Epcot. Users would think that the screen is actually a window looking out into the depths of space, with figures or objects moving around in a ‘3d space”.
Another unique feature of this patent is that it includes the possibility for users to interact with the screen. The extent of the manipulation by the user is unclear, but it seems they will at least be able to touch the screen and select or zoom in on parts of the screen.
The patent also mentions that this device can be made with transparent OLED screens, which are the highest quality screens on the market at the moment.
This is somewhat similar to the multi-layer projection effects already in use at the Navi River Journey at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.