Disney Tests Cars-Inspired Robots Built with Field AI to Direct Theme Park Parking

Arrivals at major Disney resorts regularly involve large lots where thousands of vehicles move at once. Drivers watch for open spaces while following instructions from people holding signs or waving lights. Early tests now show small four-wheeled machines handling some of that work. The machines roll on their own through the lots and signal where to turn or stop.

Last November, at the Disney Accelerator Demo Day on the Walt Disney Studios lot, prototypes of the robotic parking attendants were on display. This technology is the result of Disney Experiences Technology and Walt Disney Imagineering Research & Development collaborating with Field AI, a firm created in 2023 by former employees of DeepMind, NASA, NVIDIA, and Tesla. Its Field AI control technologies enable the robots to safely traverse over uneven terrain and varying weather conditions. You can see that they have cameras installed on the trucks, which allow them to see any cars or people close and change their path without relying on a predefined map.

One of the two prototypes is painted bright orange with yellow stripes across the front, resembling a safety vest. There’s a large screen where the windshield would normally be, with cartoon eyes that blink and move to mimic the Cars characters. The second style is a more modest blue with “Parking Aide” emblazoned across the hood. They both have a roof-mounted display that adjusts to show arrows, “pull forward,” and other simple directives. Two short arms on the side hold red lights that move in the same way that air traffic controllers indicate on the runway. When a driver arrives at their parking location, the display on the roof will switch to give a thumbs up and possibly even wish the driver a happy day.

Gary Daniels, senior vice president of products and experiences at Disney Experiences Technology & Digital, was on hand to discuss the project’s future direction. He believes they’re gaining a sense of how these devices will work, as well as how people will react to them. Ali Agha, Field AI’s creator and CEO, says that their long-term goal is to have a system in which people can focus on the major tasks while robots do the supporting duties.

There’s no news on when these things will hit Disneyland or Walt Disney World, as they’re now stored in a controlled environment. Disney is still working to increase parking capacity at the Anaheim resort, including a new lot that will feature approximately 6,000 more parking spots once completed. Machines that can navigate existing parking lots and direct cars to free spaces are anticipated to make it easier for drivers to find a spot while also giving those in charge of the lots some breathing room.

Field AI has already adapted their control packages for various platforms, including a Boston Dynamics unit and a few smaller robots. They’re also looking into putting the same navigation methods on some of the character-style robots that could eventually roam the parks. For the time being, their attention is focused on the lots beyond the gates, where the orange and blue machines are honing their wave and gesture abilities before any of the drivers arrive at the ticket booths.