14 DAY TRIAL // The current obsession with wearables is continuously spreading. Not only tech companies are taking up the manufacturing of such devices, but also entertainment companies. Like your childhood’s favorite, Walt Disney, that’s been said to have invested $1 / €0.72 billion into a wearable technology experiment.
Unlike many wearables we see today, Disney is not looking to track your heart rate or allow you to receive phone calls from your smartphone, but to revolutionize the way people spend their money at the theme park.
The experiment has been dubbed MyMagic+ and works by virtue of a website, smartphone app and a bracelet, called MagicBand, which is the wearable per-se. Now comes the creepy part, the hand band is used by Disney to track your every move at the amusement park. That in turn, will prompt the app to provide the best recommendations for rides, restaurants and such, but not only.
Guests will be able to plan out their trip to the amusement park in advance by booking trips and rides in advanced. The MagicBands are also capable of storing all your information, including credit and debit card info, tickets and hotel keys.
Certainly, Disney will have to come up with an advanced security system to protect your private data. We can’t image what would happen if the bracelet got stolen or lost. Before launching the MyMagic+ program for all its theme parks, Disney will need to figure these things out.
On the positive side of things, the MagicBands would help Disney serve guests at restaurants more quickly, manage the lines and send out directions to its employees being active on grounds. The MagicBand can be also perceived as a time management companion, helping visitors maximize the hours they spend in the park.
The program has already been experimented with during the holiday season, and according to BusinessWeek, Disney was able to accommodate an extra 3,000+ guests during the busy holiday season.
However, there’s a thin line between using the MyMagic+ program to fluidize visitor traffic and just down-right spying on every breath your guests take. Even so, Disney is moving ahead with the program. Still, we guess the program isn't as strange as the Google Glass app that can read your feelings.