The story might begin in 2009 when EPCOT gained a new ride. Well… Kind of. Located inside the park’s now-demolished Innovations, Sum of All Thrills was a unique experiment in a cutting edge ride system: robo-arms. How does it work? In short, curl your fingers into your palm and imagine your fingers are riders. Then, pretend you could detach your arm at the shoulder and anchor it to the floor.
Consider all the ways those “riders” could move based on your flexion of your shoulder joint, elbow joint, and wrist, and you get the gist. “Sum of All Thrills” was a technological prototype of something astounding – a ride system capable of incredible motion simulation.
Appropriate for its role as a prototype and tech showcase in Innoventions, “Sum of All Thrills” was staggeringly low-capacity (carrying just two guests at a time, period). But it was a dynamic, attention-grabbing example of the capabilities of a highly interesting ride system. An even larger demonstration came by way of the “Danses avec les Robots” at France’s Futuroscope (above) – still low capacity, but using multiple arm installations to create a captivating, programmed “dance.”
Of course, this technology became even more high profile when it was adapted for a vastly different experience: the headlining attraction of Universal’s Wizarding World of Harry Potter. On board Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, continuously-moving robotic arms supporting four-person benches whisk guests through the hidden corners of Hogwarts, twisting, dangling, tossing, and swirling through iconic locales from the film series. Outside of the core of Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey installations in Orlando, Hollywood, Osaka, Beijing, no one else seemed to figure out how to make this unusual, eccentric, and mysterious ride system work in a high-profile, high-capacity way… until now.
At the D23 Expo, we learned not only about the long-promised Avengers E-Ticket finally coming to California Adventure’s Campus, but about a whole new surprise concept. Stark Flight Lab will introduce the robo-arm technology in a whole new capacity. Here’s how it’ll work…
Basically, a pair of riders will strap into a two-person pod anchored to a conveyer-belt-style track. En masse, a whole set of those pods will move away from the loading area like luggage at an airport. Each will align with a standalone robo-arm, which will – amazingly – bend down and latch onto the pod. From there, it’ll launch into a thrilling program of movements (allegedly including randomized selections “stylized” after various heroes. Imagine, for example, how the “Hulk” ride profile might differ from the “Scarlet Witch” ride profile).
When the ride’s dance is done, the pods will be set down back on the conveyer belt and advance back around the loading zone, swapping places with the pods that were just loaded moments earlier. At least from what we know so far, it looks like Stark Flight Lab will be one of the more thrilling and intense rides in any Disney Park – living up to the essential thrill element that Avengers Campus needs. It’ll also be a highly creative use of an existing (but evolving) ride system.
Think about it: this is a genre Disney’s done well in the past. Like the relationship between Mystic Manor and Luigi’s Rollickin’ Roadsters, it’s taking a ride system previously used on an extravagant dark ride and asking “What if we used this for a flat ride instead?” Even better, located in an open-air, glassed-in hangar, this dynamic attraction will be a downright marvel that’s as fun to watch as it is to ride.
Stark Flight Lab will look astoundingly at home in Avengers Campus. There, it’ll serve the land’s narrative on multiple levels. First, it’ll look like the equipment used in the land’s baked-in history as the warehouses where Stark Motors automobiles were assembled (since real car assembly lines really do use robo-arms)! But it also works as a technological showcase and hero training trial – a ride that young would-be heroes “graduate” into as they become thrill-seeking pre-teens, cheering and filled with pride when they finally face it.
So what do you think? Will Stark Flight Lab be a thrilling hit? Or does it look like it’ll be too intense and too bare bones to be at home in a Disney Park? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
