More Than Just a Fashion Accessory

In late September/ early October, Disney submitted paperwork to the FCC regarding a new radio transmitting wristband.  The wristband transmits a 2.4 GHz signal to an indoor wireless infrastructure.  The band has no on/off switch and is powered by a non-replaceable battery.  The band also includes a passive UHF & HF RFID tag radio.

This band likely represents the next step in WDW’s plan to implement Next-Gen technology by storing pre-loaded information such as tickets, hotel keys, FastPass times, and dinner reservations on the band.  Disney has been testing new FastPass stations over the past year, implementing new RFID hotel room keys at select resorts, and installing wi-fi in the parks (so far, free wi-fi is available in the Magic Kingdom, Epcot, and DHS).  These steps, taken together with these filings, point towards the wristband as being the lynchpin on storing and transmitting visitor information throughout the parks and resorts.  

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Happy Birthday, EPCOT!

Today is the 30^th anniversary of the opening of EPCOT!  In celebration, I’d like to share with you two videos of Walt describing his vision for Epcot.  For those not in the know, EPCOT is actually an acronym for the Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow and was a planned community designed to showcase the potential progress of technology and innovation.  In these videos, Walt describes the roles of EPCOT in Disney World in the organization of the community itself.  Both are well worth watching; enjoy!