The last 90 seconds of a recent Disney Parks video features a demonstration of a new technology called the HoloTile floor. “We don't know yet where it will be used,” said Lanny Smoot, a Disney researcher and research and development “Imagineer.” He pointed out that there is a possibility of walking. It's an “omnidirectional floor” that can “do everything you need to do automatically” so these walkers stay in the same place. “Imagine several people being in the same room and working together to be in different locations, moving around and sightseeing.”
The video also shows the object gliding smoothly along its surface, its direction apparently controlled remotely by hand movements (“like telekinesis,” according to one design blog). “There are so many uses for this type of technology,” Smooth said in the video.
But IGN believes this “could be a game-changer for VR, bringing us even closer to the Star Trek holodeck experience.”
For Star Trek fans out there, this sounds a lot like the promise of a holodeck. The holodeck is a small room where you can virtually take your favorite crewmates anywhere and enjoy some fun and relaxation between missions. It's not about trying to be dysfunctional and murderous. As Disney states, the applications for HoloTile floors extend beyond virtual reality. “The HoloTile floor also doubles as an insert on a theater stage, allowing performers to move and dance in new ways, as well as moving stage props and structures.” It looks like ”