Earlier this month, we told you about a patent that was able to mimic the muzzle flash caused by a blaster being fired. A patent that was published today extends on that technology as is able to replicate the blaster shot traveling through the air.
While the illusion behind the technology will surely wow guests, the technology itself is quite remarkable in its simplicity. It essentially uses a multitude of mini reflective surfaces that display the blaster fire traveling through space.
These reflective surfaces are connected to arms that quickly appear and disappear from view as to not break the illusion. When enough of these are lined up together, the laser that is shot out of the blaster can mimic a blaster shot traveling quite a long distance.
The massive hindrance to this technology is the stationary nature of these reflective surfaces and the space taken up by them. This seems to point towards this technology being used in a dark ride, like the Battle Escape attraction coming to Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.
If used on a stage, actors would need to be very accurate with their shot so the reflective surfaces create an accurate path for the blaster fire. However, in an attraction, if the blaster is affixed to an animatronic, the path would already be set and calibrated, which combined with scenery blocking the reflective surfaces, would allow for high accuracy and immersion.
As with all patents, this technology may never be seen in the parks, but this specific patent seems to align perfectly with Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.
