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  1. #1
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    Exclamation More Rumours of New Transportation Options for Walt Disney World

    "Unidentified sources" are reporting the Walt Disney World is in the late planning stages of launching a pilot program for autonomous shuttles:

    Quote Originally Posted by LATimes

    Walt Disney World plans to deploy driverless shuttles in Florida

    by Russ Mitchell
    Los Angeles Times
    April 28, 2017

    Walt Disney World in Florida appears poised to launch the highest-profile commercial deployment of driverless passenger vehicles to date, testing a fleet of driverless shuttles that could cart passengers through parking lots and around its theme parks.

    According to sources with direct knowledge of Disney’s plans, the company is in late-stage negotiation with at least two manufacturers of autonomous shuttles – Local Motors, based in Phoenix, and Navya, based in Paris. It’s unclear whether contracts would go to both or just one of the companies.

    The sources, who asked not be identified to avoid offending Disney, said the company plans a pilot program later this year to transport employees in the electric-drive robot vehicles. If that goes well, they said, the shuttles would begin transporting park visitors sometime next year.



    Most of the vehicles are shaped like tall bricks on wheels. With plenty of headroom, the shuttles typically can carry up to 12 to 15 passengers. Equipped with cameras, radar and laser sensors, they’re limited in “geofenced” areas – zones where the environment is well-mapped and understood by the vehicles’ artificial intelligence software and hardware.

    Though the shuttles are capable of driving 25 mph or more, their speed is usually limited in initial deployments to 5 to 10 mph.

    “They should be boring,” said Alain Kornhauser, an autonomous vehicle expert at Princeton University. “Riding in an elevator is boring. It takes you where you want to go.”

    Shuttles like those planned at Walt Disney World “are in a sense going to demonstrate to the public that (robot vehicles) really work.”


    Figment! aka Jason ºoº
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  4. #2
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    No thank you
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    INTERCOT Staff: Theme Parks, DVC

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  6. #3
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    More jobs lost to automation!
    Jeff

  7. #4
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    No. Just......No.
    Ed
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    Welcome to the INTERCOT forums !


  8. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by Figment! View Post
    "Unidentified sources" are reporting the Walt Disney World is in the late planning stages of launching a pilot program for autonomous shuttles:

    From a friend on site. Verified this is true. They are not there yet, but are "very" close.
    Disneyland: many, MANY times!
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  9. #6
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    Does this make anyone, beside me, think of the "Johnny Cabs" from the movie "Total Recall"???
    -Bud

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  10. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jeff View Post
    More jobs lost to automation!
    yeah. just like the buggy whip manufacturer lost his job to a mechanic.

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  12. #8
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    There is going to be some serious maintenance required in order for it to stay safe. If everything is not functioning properly, there is no human to compensate. Disney is not exactly famous for staying ahead on its maintenance these days.

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  14. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by Tekneek View Post
    There is going to be some serious maintenance required in order for it to stay safe. If everything is not functioning properly, there is no human to compensate. Disney is not exactly famous for staying ahead on its maintenance these days.
    True, but gondola systems don't require that much maintenance anyway.

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    ... maybe someday they'll theme them to fit the Haunted Mansion story and one of the ghosts is escorting us to the park ???
    80 1st./04POR/05POR/06POR/07POR/08POR/09POR/10POR/
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    14FQJun/14POPJul/14PORNov/15POPFeb/15FQJun/15AoADec/16ASPNov/17AoAJun/ 17POPSep/18CBJun/19PORApr/

    IN GOD WE TRUST !!

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  17. #11
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    Quote Originally Posted by Tekneek View Post
    There is going to be some serious maintenance required in order for it to stay safe. If everything is not functioning properly, there is no human to compensate. Disney is not exactly famous for staying ahead on its maintenance these days.
    Eh. Depends on the technology they use. Self driving vehicles are far safer than those driven by us. Our perception is you need human back up but the risk of accidents from a human driving a tram is statistically higher than a computer driving it.
    "One little spark of inspiration is at the heart of all creation, right at the start of everything thats new, one little spark lights up for you!"


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  18. #12
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    Oops, I didn't realize this post was about the shuttles.

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    Natalie
    INTERCOT Staff: Disneyland Resort-California, The Water Cooler

  19. #13
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    Quote Originally Posted by Dulcee View Post
    Eh. Depends on the technology they use. Self driving vehicles are far safer than those driven by us. Our perception is you need human back up but the risk of accidents from a human driving a tram is statistically higher than a computer driving it.
    Sure they are, so long as everything is functioning properly.

  20. #14
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    It's evident to me, based on what I saw on our trip last week, that Disney is investing a significant amount of money in improving the way people move around the parks. All the roads are torn up and they're adding "bus only" lanes to the middle of the major thoroughfares. They're adding the gondolas and now the autonomous vehicles. They clearly feel like moving around the resort is an issue.
    Ian ºOº
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  21. #15
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    Quote Originally Posted by Ian View Post
    It's evident to me, based on what I saw on our trip last week, that Disney is investing a significant amount of money in improving the way people move around the parks. All the roads are torn up and they're adding "bus only" lanes to the middle of the major thoroughfares. They're adding the gondolas and now the autonomous vehicles. They clearly feel like moving around the resort is an issue.
    Anything to get more money out of your pocket...quickly and efficiently!
    -Bud

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  22. #16
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    Quote Originally Posted by Tekneek View Post
    There is going to be some serious maintenance required in order for it to stay safe. If everything is not functioning properly, there is no human to compensate. Disney is not exactly famous for staying ahead on its maintenance these days.
    Quote Originally Posted by Tekneek View Post
    Sure they are, so long as everything is functioning properly.

    True everything has to function properly for it to work. However, maintenance is not the primary key to safety in autonomous (self driving) vehicles. The key is fail safe programming so when a sensor fails or a drive motor fails or whatever the case may be, the operating system is programmed to handle it in a safe manner. If a critical sensor fails or something of that nature, the vehicle will be programmed to come to a safe stop and await a technician to come troubleshoot the failure before being reset and returned to operation. They could also easily program the entire system to act upon the failure of any one vehicle. If one fails and has to stop, the others react by either stopping where they are or reroute to an alternative path or direction.

    These things can be made far safer than human drivers because they are all programmed to react the same way predictably every single time a failure occurs. With humans, you never know what they will do, they are very unpredictable. A perfect example is the accidents with the monorail a few years ago. That could have all been avoided with automated safety software that takes over controlling the vehicles like is in place now.

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  24. #17
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    Personally, I look forward to the day when car travel is automated and I don't have to worry about if the distracted driver tailgating me on the Interstate is going to notice that traffic ahead is stopping. Just build in fail-safes to prevent HAL from kicking me out of the car going down the road...

  25. #18
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    Quote Originally Posted by WDW-Geek View Post
    Personally, I look forward to the day when car travel is automated and I don't have to worry about if the distracted driver tailgating me on the Interstate is going to notice that traffic ahead is stopping. Just build in fail-safes to prevent HAL from kicking me out of the car going down the road...

    I played up the safety concerns from poor maintenance, but the real concern is the security of the vehicle's systems, both internally and externally. Vulnerabilities are being found in vehicles all the time and a deployment like Disney would likely have is going to attract hackers. It's all very interesting.

  26. #19
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    I used to enjoy driving when I was younger, but as I grow older and crankier it's just a chore. I would welcome the day when some robot did the driving for me and I could just nap in the back seat. Bring it on!
    Ian ºOº
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    Veteran of over 60 trips to Disney theme parks and proud to have stayed in every Disney resort in the continental United States! º0º

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    Help support INTERCOT's sponsors!!!

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  28. #20
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    Quote Originally Posted by RunDMV View Post
    yeah. just like the buggy whip manufacturer lost his job to a mechanic.
    Perfectly said. With innovation, lost jobs due to technology lead increases job demand in another field. You can't stay static.

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