Merlin Entertainments has teamed up with experiential design firm Holovis and ETF Ride Systems to create a new dark ride that will transform guests into Lego Mini Figures.
Called the Lego Factory Adventure Ride, the experience will open at the upcoming Legoland New York Resort when it opens on 4 July 2020. It will feature on-ride tracking systems, one of the world's first, that will be able to identify guests' physical attributes and map their position in the virtual space, transforming them into Lego Mini Figures before their eyes.
A narrative led experience, the dark ride will take visitors on a thrilling adventure through the Lego factory with Professor Brick. Guest, riding on trackless motion vehicles developed by ETF Ride Systems, will meet a colourful cast of characters as they make their way through the factory.
The ride culminates with guests coming face-to-face with a screen, where they witness their ride vehicle, and then themselves, transformed into Lego Mini Figures. The on-screen recreations will have the same physical features as their real life counterparts, thanks to an on-ride tracking system, while motion-tracking even allows the Mini Figure to move as the guest does.
These virtual reconstructions are powered by HoloTrac, a proprietary platfrom created by Holovis that uses advanced computer vision and tracking technologies underpinned by neural-network-based facial recognition and recognition algorithms to create the virtual Mini Figures in less than 0.5 seconds.
Peter Cliff, creative director at Holovis, said: "At Holovis, we pride ourselves on the ability to own the entire technical experience, so the delivery of the Lego Factory Adventure is the perfect project for our turnkey, in-house capability. Working alongside Merlin Entertainments, we have created the ultimate in on-ride guest personalisation and the ETF trackless motion vehicle integrates perfectly with the non-linear ride experience."
"The Lego Mini Figure transformation is the textbook use for our HoloTrac technology, and since its completely invisibile to the guest, the experience feels like real magic," he added.
Julie Estrada, head of Public Relations North America for Merlin Entertainments, said: "Imagine travelling through a Lego Factory and suddenly seeing yourself as a Lego Minifigure! With that vision in hand, we looked to two of the world's leading developers, Holovis and ETF, to create this first of its kind dark ride experience."
Ruud Koppens, CEO of ETf, said: "The vehicle we created for the Lego Factory Adventure is meant to make guests feel as if they are a part of the automatic robot machinery that you would see in a Lego factory."
Expected to open in July 2020 the Legoland New York Resort will be the largest Legoland theme park ever built, spanning 150 acres and several themed lands. It will more play host to more than 50 rides, shows and attractions.
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