This doesn’t have too much to do with babysitting, but it was too cool not to share. Last month, Disney unveiled its House of the Future in Tomorrowland, an attraction that “combines state-of-the-art technology with the latest in Disneyland immersive storytelling.”

How it works:
The experience includes guest interaction with the residents of the Dream Home — the fictional Elias family. Members of the family move from room to room, utilizing the technology as they prepare for a big celebration, younger son Robbie’s amazing soccer goal, which earned his team a victory in the Nationals and a spot at the International Soccer Championships in China.

Guests who enter the Dream Home can observe and play with all its comforts, including:

Front Yard
A member of the Elias family greets guests as they approach the front door of the Dream Home.

• With the touch of a button, the family can change the outside appearance of the Dream Home. Today, they’ll be decorating for Robbie’s celebration, but they can also easily decorate for the holidays.
• The Dream Home “recognizes” members of the Elias family as they enter the home. The dog door even recognizes the family dog!

Foyer & Great Room
Upon entering the Dream Home, guests may explore on their own in several directions. Whichever direction they choose, they will enter through the Foyer and Great Room.

• As the Dream Home notes the presence of individual members of the Elias family, the surroundings in the Great Room — pictures on the walls, music in the sound system — automatically adjust to the preferences of that family member.
• At the Grand Piano, take a master class from a teacher on the other side of the country. Technology lets the teacher do a full demonstration, complete with technique, on the Dream Home piano.
• The room’s “coffee table book” is actually an interactive touch screen with content from the library, including the original manuscript of “Alice in Wonderland.” Turn the pages of the book simply by touching the screen.

Kitchen
Like most kitchens, the Elias family Kitchen is more than just a place to prepare food.

• View a virtual bulletin board that posts all the latest messages about soccer schedules, along with digital photos and versions of the kids’ hand-drawn creations.
• Since this Dream Home Kitchen is fully interconnected, appliances can “talk” to one another.
• So can the grocery items! If Mrs. Elias puts a bag of flour on the counter, the computer voice of “Lillian” will provide recipes and instructions to prepare the meals.
• If ingredients are missing or out-of-date, the interconnected pantry and refrigerator will share the information and create a shopping list on the virtual bulletin board.

Dining Room
Like most families, the Elias family gathers around the dinner table to discuss the day’s events, and the day of Robbie’s soccer victory has been a special one.

• The Dining Room table is a large interactive surface, inlayed with computers, and when the family sets down their mobile phones on the table, photos and videos spill across the screens. Then the family can interact with, view and enlarge the images with a simple touch.
• The Dining Room table can also be used to create art, do homework, and assemble video puzzles — with multiple family members all at once.
• A Dining Room memory cabinet displays photos and art appropriate to any occasion, triggered by objects placed on its shelf.

Family Room/Home Office
The entertainment center in the Dream Home Family Room is a movie lover’s dream…

• With the touch of a button, the room transforms into a state-of-the-art home theater. The curtains close, the lights adjust, the 7.1 surround sound kicks in, and the 100-inch television screen comes to life with one of the movies stored in the Media Center.
• The Home Office features a desk and chair inspired by the classic design of Walt Disney’s own Studio office. Here, Elias family members can tend to business, like communicating with the Chinese soccer team that will meet Robbie’s team when it arrives.
• A 3-D Printer enables the Chinese hosts to send a congratulatory three-dimensional gift directly to the Elias home.

Teen Daughter’s Room

• At her desk, the Elias family daughter can connect with friends or her favorite entertainment.
• As she develops new interests, she can easily change the photos and posters in her room.
• The Magic Mirror, a virtual mirror, projects accessories, hairstyles and the clothes from her closet onto her reflection, fitting the styles to her body so that she can try out different “looks” as she prepares for her brother’s party.

Younger Son’s Room
In the manner of all great Disney attractions, the room combines the latest technology with classic storytelling.

• Robbie’s bed is a pirate ship, complete with onboard cannon.
• When a family member takes a seat by the bed and begins to tell the story of Peter Pan, the story jumps off the pages. Everyone in the room is immersed in the story with special effects, including video that appears on the ship’s sail and the surrounding walls.
• Tinker Bell may even breeze past some of the room’s fixtures, causing them to shake and tinkle. The bed-cannon can shoot holes through the virtual clouds, just like the cannon on Captain Hook’s ship.

Backyard, Courtyard & Party Tent

• The barbecue and outdoor décor feature the latest technology, including a flat-screen monitor that can dispense barbecuing instructions.
• Inside the Party Tent, guests who want to “build” their own virtual Dream Home can get even more hands-on experiences with the fascinating applications on display in the Innoventions Dream Home.

Anyone been to Disneyland and had a chance to experience this yet?

Source

This entry was posted on Thursday, July 24th, 2008 at 10:56 am and is filed under Child Care. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.