Why Theme Parks Need More Augmented Reality Attractions

I recently visited  Universal Studios Orlando. Everything was top-notch, from the ride on Hogwarts Express at Platform 9 ¾ to the Jurassic Park experience. But what caught my attention was the Spider-Man ride where Mr. Parker swung around. Everything looked so realistic, and it felt like I was in the movie.

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As a geek, I love such ideas and started digging into how they made it possible (Hint: AR).

As the name suggests, Augmented Reality (AR) is basically the amplified version of reality. It uses computer vision technology to submerge a virtual world into reality. That’s what happened with that Spider-Man ride, where its virtual world was extended to the real world (the ride).

A lot of people tend to use VR and AR interchangeably. However, it’s VR that most people already know about, where headsets like the Meta Quest can essentially transport you into an entirely different world. This technology can be used for various activities, such as online gaming and attending classes or meetings, as long as you have a reliable internet connection.

I have used VR headsets for gaming and highly recommend experiencing it yourself. Headsets like HTC Vive Pro 2 or the Meta Quest 3 headsets are relatively inexpensive and offer great VR experience. To have a seamless VR experience, especially during online activities like gaming and streaming, you need reliable internet like Xfinity Internet, mainly since it’s fast and reliable.

However, Augmented Reality is quite different. Unlike Virtual Reality (VR), AR tops the real world off with images powered by computer vision.

That said, AR has become increasingly important for amusement parks. From scavenger hunts to interactive maps, AR finds its use cases throughout the park to enhance visitors’ experiences. This is going to be my topic of interest for today as I will be talking about the use of AR in theme parks, along with its functioning and more.

So, without further ado, let’s hop into it.

How AR Gained the Attention of Theme Parks?

Not very long ago, the amusement parks I used to visit as a child were all mechanical. Rides used to be powered by big machines and were fun (at least for that time).

Well, those big machines are still there but they have integrated the advanced technologies to double the fun. For the very first time, AR was used in a theme park in 2010 and the rest is history. Disney’s Haunted Mansion was one of the first adopters of Augmented Reality.

This, coupled with the good ol’ rides truly transformed the landscape of amusement parks. Not only was it revolutionary, but people loved it too. It is quite an experience to feel the ride along with the enhanced perceptual images powered by AR.

Seeing the popularity of AR-based rides, more theme parks wanted a bite for themselves. That’s how AR technology became extremely popular and (more importantly), useful for theme parks.

How Augmented Reality Works in Theme Parks

Theme parks either use mobile phones or dedicated AR headsets to display characters, virtual elements, and effects on top of the real world. This way, reality doesn’t completely vanish the way it does in VR, and visitors get a great experience that is digitally enhanced by AR.

Play Disney Parks is a mobile app, that offers features like virtual navigation through the park and Mickey Mouse’s magical messages. Calaway Fun AR is another app that lets visitors take pictures with virtual characters. Well, it’s not actually taking photos with the characters, it’s just AR-based characters on top of your photo, which looks really cool.

How AR Enhances Visitor Experiences

Augmented Reality can help enhance the experience for visitors in a lot of ways. Let’s take a look at them.

Immersive Storytelling

Stories of legends and myths are great, but only listening or even watching the animated stories just doesn’t pull it off. Through AR, theme parks can build super engaging storytelling. Imagine you are moving through the actual scene and characters are popping up to tell you what happened to them. Isn’t that great? That’s how AR takes the experience from average to supreme.

Interactive Attractions

How do you make attractions more attractive? By making them more interactive using AR.

AR-powered Scavenger Hunts and similar games are good examples of that. Through such games, participants are engaging with both the real and virtual elements of the game.

That said, AR games are not particularly designed for one age group, they are designed to engage people of all age groups. I mean, yeah, you can play Scavenger Hunt with your Grandpa.

Personalized Journeys

AR mobile apps and the settings on the AR headsets can be customized to give tailored experiences based on individual preferences. I like characters from DC Comics more than Marvel. These AR-based apps can customize the characters according to my liking, making the experience more interesting and engaging.

Notable Examples of AR in Theme Parks

Disney has been collaborating with brands like Apple to utilize the new Apple Vision Pro. Disney Plus for Apple’s headset was a dedicated app to enhance the experience using AR technology.

Universal Studios is another house that has utilized AR to build The Secret Life of Pets: Off the Leash. This ride, in my opinion, smokes the others. The ride basically takes you through a New York-style building, where the pets are causing a ruckus. The AR shows fireworks heading toward you, but they just vanish as soon as they seem to hit you. It’s crazy, and it’s the best one that I ever had.

Why More Theme Parks Should Integrate AR

This new technology needs to be integrated into more theme parks since it can:

• Enhance Visitor Engagement: Theme parks were getting boring because of the old redundant rides. AR not only provides customized experiences but elevates the overall ride experience, which in turn improves the visitors’ satisfaction.
• Increase Foot Traffic and Revenue: Every theme park, whether it is Disney or Universal Studios, has its own unique offering. You get to experience new stuff, and word of mouth does a great job of marketing and increases the footfall.
• Provide Educational Opportunities: AR is customizable, and it can be used to educate people while providing them with entertainment. What better way to implement them into theme parks to keep the users engaged? It’s not limited to just theme parks, since it can be implemented into schools and museums.

Challenges of Implementing AR in Theme Parks

While there are a lot of fun benefits of AR, it brings in a few challenges as well. These include:

• High Costs of AR Infrastructure: It is pretty costly to implement and maintain AR, especially at a large scale needed by theme parks. Depending on the customization, the cost of implementing AR can reach up to a million dollars, which may not be affordable for most theme parks.
• Technical Difficulties: Once the AR infrastructure is built, it’s not like the job is done. Maintaining it in its sound state is another costly expense that can make it difficult to implement it in the first place.
• Balancing AR with Traditional Attractions: Another technical difficulty that might be a significant roadblock is adjusting advanced technology like AR with traditional rides. This can add more to the cost of implementation.
• Potential Accessibility Issues: It’s not a technical difficulty, but if amusement parks are utilizing AR headsets or mobile phones, it might get difficult for non-tech-savvy users. Educating them about this new technology might do the trick, but it will take time and resources.

There’s absolutely no doubt that AR can be a worthwhile investment in theme parks. However, as the technology improves and evolves, its implementation will become a lot easier and worthwhile.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

How does AR work in stadiums?

Augmented Reality in sports is used in AR fan cameras that use face tracking. Face tracking powered by AR allows the user to engage via AR filters, effects, masks, and more.

How does AR collect data?

Augmented Reality uses sensors like gyroscopes, light, depth, accelerometer, and cameras to collect data. Then, the software processes the collected data to make use of it in the best possible way.

Which algorithm does AR actually use?

The type of algorithm used in AR depends on its use cases. For example, in AR, SLAM (simultaneous localization and mapping algorithm) is used in the application of digital mapping.