Innoventions Brings Products of Near Future to Epcot ’94
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — July 1, 1994 — Epcot '94 launches a new era to expand Walt Disney's vision of Epcot as a showcase for the best ideas of industry and technology by adding INNOVENTIONS, an exposition of amazing products for the near future.
Beginning July 1, Walt Disney World guests will get a special sneak preview of INNOVENTIONS and the new products and services that will change their daily lives forever, plus a backstage peek at a Disney virtual reality attraction in development.
The grand opening will be in September.
"At INNOVENTIONS, the public will enjoy a privileged glimpse into their own future and that of their children," said Michael D. Eisner, chairman, president and CEO of The Walt Disney Company. "Epcot guests will be able to see, hear and touch technological advancements that are changing the way we live, work and play.
"They may never go to Mars," Eisner added, "but they will use the information superhighway, advanced computer software, digital television, virtual reality, voice-controlled appliances, electric cars and smart-house features they will try for the first time at INNOVENTIONS."
Just now appearing in the marketplace, these are new products which most people have only read about or seen on television. Exhibits, similar to those seen only by industry insiders at major trade shows, will be constantly changing as new products and technologies are developed.
Corporations from all over the world will join The Walt Disney Company in presenting major exhibits. They include AT&T, Apple Computer Inc., General Electric, General Motors, Hammacher Schlemmer, Honeywell, IBM, LEGO Dacta, Masco Corp., Oracle, SEGA and Videonics. Disney Imagineers will continue to search the globe for emerging technologies they can demonstrate to Epcot guests.
Walt Disney Imagineering (WDI) itself will give guests a once-in-a- lifetime opportunity to go behind the scenes to see previously secret workings in a WDI laboratory as computer graphics "wizards" develop a virtual reality attraction based on the hit film "Aladdin."
Imagineers will demonstrate how they use super-capacity computers, developed by Silicon Graphics, Inc., to create unique three-dimensional graphics combining Disney animation with the world of cyberspace. The experience of flying on Aladdin's magic carpet will be tested with Epcot guests. It is a form of virtual reality that does not exist anywhere else in the world.
Visitors will be able to test wrist telephones, computerized guitars and pianos and filmless digital still cameras. They will discover new interactive video systems, CD-ROM visual information libraries and global position-locating systems for automobiles. And guests can play more than 200 of the most advanced video games or tour a magic house of the future that thinks for itself.
Although products will not be sold in exhibit areas, representatives from each exhibiting company will be on hand to explain and demonstrate the products on display. Guests may use interactive computer terminals to receive information by mail.
"INNOVENTIONS is intentionally entrepreneurial and commercial," said Barry Braverman, executive producer, Epcot '94, "because it is a competitive marketplace that drives innovation."
Initial phase of the project will occupy 100,000 square feet in INNOVENTIONS Plaza in the heart of Epcot's Future World.
The entire appearance of the area is being given a bold, fresh look with bright colors, lively graphics and new eateries including the Electric Umbrella Restaurant, Pasta Piazza Ristorante and Fountain View Espresso & Bakery.
An exciting new computer-controlled musical fountain with waters leaping 150 feet into the air performs its "Fountaineering" magic in the center of the Plaza with guest participation in controlling its musical aqua-antics.
Opened in 1982, Epcot already contains major pavilions dealing in unique and entertaining ways with the past, present and distant future — in Future World, with land and sea, with communications and transportation, with health, energy and imagination; and, in World Showcase, it entertains with classic architecture, entertainment, international foods and culture from 11 colorful nations around the globe. INNOVENTIONS adds a new dimension, new vitality and inspiration, keeping Epcot on the cutting edge of entertainment, demonstration and experimentation, unlike any other place in the world.
INNOVENTIONS FACT SHEET
Initial displays and exhibitors in the new Epcot INNOVENTIONS will include:
AT&T CO. — Complementing AT&T's "Global Neighborhood" exhibit in nearby Spaceship Earth, this display features hands-on exhibits and interactive demonstrations of the very latest in communications, voice recognition, computing tools and services that bring people together with the information they need anytime, anywhere. Guests will compare AT&T True Voice clarity with ordinary telephone sound, see the first public demonstrations of AT&T's new PersonaLink Services and see a prototype model of the company's wrist telephone which brings the Dick Tracy dream closer to reality. Video phones and the Picasso system for transmitting voice and video images over the same phone line will be on display, plus the award-winning EO wireless personal digital assistant system.
APPLE COMPUTER INC. — Discovery and realization of ideas and the role of computers and technology are presented in an "idea factory" with a range of computer products for everyday use in the home for everyone from young children to parents and grandparents. Demonstrations dealing with education, creative arts, business and home entertainment feature Apple Macintosh Performa and new Power Macintosh computers; QuickTake, Apple's Color Digital Still Camera, and the newest models of the Newton personal digital assistant.
DISCOVER MAGAZINE AWARDS FOR TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION — The exhibit showcases the current year's winners and finalists in the annual Discover Magazine Awards program for the world's most innovative technologies from the world's most innovative minds. The competition is judged by world-renowned experts. Current winners on display for the opening include:
1. Automotive, Randy Brayer of Goodyear Tire & Rubber, for the Eagle GS-C EMT Tire, which can travel for 200 miles after losing air without compromising performance.
2. Aviation & Aerospace, Hugh Schmittle of Freewing Aircraft Corp., for development of an aircraft with a hinged wing that minimizes the effect of sudden wind gusts and reduces chance of stalling.
3. Computer Hardware & Electronics, Celeste Baransi & Alain Rossman of EO, for development of the EO Personal Communicator, a single, lightweight unit which combines an integrated cellular phone, fax machine and pen-input personal computer.
4. Computer Software, Bedrich Chaloupka of Globalinks, for development of GTS software for personal computers which translates English and four other languages with accuracy and smoothness.
5. Environment, Dale Osborn of U.S. Windpower and Edgar DeMeo of Electric Power Research Institute, for the 33M-VS variable-speed wind turbine which solves a major problem in converting wind power to electricity.
6. Sound, Henri Garcia of Phillips Hearing Instruments, for the XP Peritympanic Hearing Aid, the first totally invisible device which fits deep into the auditory canal.
7. Sight, Jerry Nelson of Hawaii's W.M. Keck Observatory, for creation of the Keck Telescope, which uses a segmented mosaic mirror 150 inches larger than its nearest rival to capture the light of a quasar 13 billion light years away.
The 1994 winners will be introduced at Epcot '94 in August. Discover is the nation's leading science monthly, with more than 5-million readers.
ECLECTRONICS — Walt Disney Imagineering's experimental robot, Alec Tronic, sets the scene for an eclectic collection of fun and games, interactive electronic gadgets, color fax machines, new mini-disc CD players, a global location finder for automobile drivers, the newest laser-disc and CD-ROM technologies and miniaturized video cameras. Guests can compare a $100,000 stereo system with a $1,500 hi-fi, or get inside an automobile to test an incredible sound system guaranteed to rock the neighborhood. The exhibit includes a MIDI recording studio where a live performer shows how hit musical recordings are produced, allowing guests to choose sound bites for the final product. In the Virtual Music game, guests with no musical training can play a computerized guitar to produce a complete concert performance. They control the instrument's rhythm and dynamics by strumming and picking. The computer supplies the chords, melodies and orchestral backup. Eclectronics' six areas also includes a state-of-the-art home theater with a magnum-size, wide-aspect TV monitor with superior visual resolution and total-realism surround sound. Exhibits allow guests to use an outstanding variety of interactive video games and electronic library programs.
GENERAL ELECTRIC CO. — GE presents the Magic House Show, a fun- filled potpourri of legerdemain starring Disney's newest character, a rabbit/magician called The Great Carrotini. Turning the tables on magicians who make rabbits appear out of hats, Carrotini can make all kinds of handy housewares, home appliances and furnishings fly through the air and disappear at will. In the process, he demonstrates state-of- the-art appliances, work-saving gadgets and home management systems. Nearby is the GE product display area featuring NBC television stars Katie Couric and Bob Costas, interactive entertainment with "Tonight Show" host Jay Leno, and a wide range of the latest products from jet engines and home appliances to medical ultrasound imaging and new power distribution systems, where design allows appliances to plug in anywhere in the room. There is also a lighting library where guests test lighting "temperatures" to show how color changes the mood of a room with the touch of a video screen.
GENERAL MOTORS CORP. — GM's experimental electric car, "Impact," is the centerpiece of this exhibit featuring demonstrations and displays of new technologies which will combine computerization, advanced design and ultra-light materials to produce safer, more versatile and efficient cars of the future. One of these is the "Ultralight," an alternate-fuel vehicle constructed with light-weight, super-strength materials which was seen in the movie "Demolition Man."
HAMMACHER SCHLEMMER — From the next HS catalogs of unique and innovative inventions for everyday living come unusual gadgets, home aids and time-savers of every kind, even before they begin reaching the public. These include noise-quieting headphones, night-vision scopes, video game chairs, digital player piano and a personal breakfast maker which can be programmed the night before to prepare toast, eggs and coffee at a set time. Guests have the opportunity to see how Hammacher Schlemmer tests new products for usefulness, wearability and uniqueness.
HONEYWELL INC. — Lifestyle scenes in Honeywell's "Comfortville" exhibit demonstrate a wide range of easy-to-use products to make homes more energy efficient, secure, convenient and entertaining. Systems include home automation, indoor climate control with zoned temperatures, remote control home security, motorized windows that close automatically when it starts to rain, plus the latest in-home communications and entertainment.
IBM CORP. — IBM's "Thinkplace" features innovative and interactive exhibits of IBM's latest computers and technologies. Visitors experience new ways of communicating simply by speaking to or writing on a computer. Guests also can take an electronic "field trip," complete with sound and video; test-drive an information system that broadcasters use to provide colorful commentaries and statistics at the Olympic Games; and access huge libraries of music, movies and more through a home television.
LEGO DACTA, EDUCATIONAL DIVISION OF LEGO GROUP INC. — The LEGO Dacta Classroom of Tomorrow allows visitors to explore science and technology through hands-on activities that combine LEGO bricks with special computer programs. Visitors build working models of merry-go- rounds, control robotic arms and design original models by moving images of LEGO pieces on the computer screen.
MASCO CORP. PRESENTS THE MAGIC HOUSE TOUR — The Magic House sample rooms showcase latest designs in Lineage Home Furnishings, Delta and Peerless Faucets and Merillat Cabinetry plus the newest home appliances, electronic innovations and smart-house features in bedrooms, kitchens, bathrooms and home entertainment centers with both traditional and contemporary stylings. Special features include an electronic pet door which senses when Kitty or Fido goes in or out, and liquid crystal windows which switch from clear to opaque for privacy. In the "bathroom of the future," TOTO provides a "Medical Queen" toilet which analyzes "waste" and reports on health status, and the "Sound Princess" which produces discreet musical sounds to obscure the audio evidence of bathroom usage. There is also a public toilet which cleans and showers its interior after each user leaves. A health pad which checks weight, pulse rate and blood pressure each day is among other devices on display.
BILL NYE, THE SCIENCE GUY — Television's popular science teacher presents a lighthearted and entertaining view of science in a multimedia show which traces how the wildest ideas of inventive minds grow from laboratory to marketplace. His demonstrations include a television screen which bulges to follow the contours of a human face.
ORACLE CORP. — Guests entering the "Information Highway" exhibit discover software technologies delivering highly interactive services that put the guest in touch with home entertainment, information on thousands of subjects and the newest educational tools. A giant video wall shows a "A Day in the Life" on the Information Highway.
SEGA — SEGA's newest "Virtua Fighter" game is introduced, where two players compete against each other manipulating the kung fu fighters which appear in super-real graphics before the players' eyes. Guests can play more than 140 of SEGA's most-advanced video games plus the company's virtual reality system where players don video-screen headgear which creates the illusion of placing players in the middle of the playing field. SEGA's video arcade games, ready for guest testing, include the AS-1 high-speed space simulator ride and "Virtua Formula" where each participant sits in an Indy 500-style "race car" maneuvering his car on a large-screen television in front of him, pitting his driving skills against other racers in adjacent cars.
VIDEONICS — Demonstrations of home video editing products and professional-quality special effects equipment show guests how to improve their home movies and videos by providing titles, cross-fading, enhancement of color and brightness, and the addition of narration, music and special video and audio effects.
WALT DISNEY IMAGINEERING LABORATORY — For the first time in history, the public can go inside a Disney lab to see experimentation on a future theme park attraction during development. The "Aladdin's Magic Carpet" adventure uses super-power computer-graphic imaging systems combining Disney animation art with virtual reality. The Disney VR lab is testing the flying carpet experience on Epcot guests.
CONTACT:
Walt Disney World Press and Publicity, 407-934-7625