Systems and methods for providing enhanced ride system experience to guests with disabilities

Abstract

The present disclosure is directed to systems and methods for providing assistive show content to guests with disabilities and/or assistance requirements of an amusement park attraction and/or interactive experience. The assistive show content may be overlaid with, enhance, substitute, override, or replace standard show content displayed to or provided to guests by the ride system. In particular, the present embodiments may cause output of the assistive show content based on received indication of a detected assistive device associated with a guest of the ride system and/or based on an indication to provide the assistive show content to a ride vehicle, ride seat, and/or guest location of the guest.

1 . A ride system, comprising:
 a sensor configured to detect a triggering event associated with the ride system; and   an adaptive show control system comprising a processing system configured to:
 receive information associated with the triggering event; and 
 cause an assistive device communicatively coupled to the ride system to output assistive show content based on the information. 
   
     
     
         2 . The ride system of  claim 1 , comprising a show system configured to:
 receive the information associated with the triggering event;   determine show content based on the information; and   cause an output device to output the show content.   
     
     
         3 . The ride system of  claim 2 , wherein the assistive show content is configured to overlay, enhance, or replace the show content. 
     
     
         4 . The ride system of  claim 2 , wherein the assistive device comprises the output device, and wherein the processing system is configured to cause the output device to output a combination of the assistive show content and the show content. 
     
     
         5 . The ride system of  claim 1 , comprising a triggering device communicatively coupled to the sensor and the adaptive show control system, wherein the triggering device is configured to receive a signal indicative of the triggering event from the sensor. 
     
     
         6 . The ride system of  claim 5 , wherein the triggering device is configured to:
 detect, via the sensor, an identifier associated with an assistive location; and   transmit an indication of a flagged state associated with the assistive location to the adaptive show control system based on detecting the identifier, wherein the flagged state is associated with output of the assistive show content at the assistive location.   
     
     
         7 . The ride system of  claim 6 , wherein the assistive device is associated with the assistive location, and wherein the processing system is configured to:
 receive the indication of the flagged state; and   cause output of the assistive show content at the assistive device associated with the assistive location based on the information and the indication.   
     
     
         8 . The ride system of  claim 6 , wherein the assistive location comprises a ride vehicle, a ride vehicle seat, or a location of a guest. 
     
     
         9 . The ride system of  claim 5 , wherein the triggering device is configured to generate and transmit a packet comprising the information based on the signal, and wherein the processing system is configured to:
 receive the packet from the triggering device;   extract the information from the packet; and   determine the assistive show content based on the information.   
     
     
         10 . The ride system of  claim 1 , wherein the adaptive show control system comprises control logic configured to receive the information as input and to output the assistive show content, and wherein the processing system is configured to:
 determine the assistive show content using the control logic and based on the information; and   generate and transmit instructions configured to cause the assistive device to output the assistive show content.   
     
     
         11 . The ride system of  claim 1 , wherein the adaptive show control system comprises memory storing a lookup table that maps the information to the assistive show content, and wherein the processing system is configured to:
 determine the assistive show content using the lookup table and based on the information; and   generate and transmit instructions configured to cause the assistive device to output the assistive show content.   
     
     
         12 . The ride system of  claim 1 , comprising a ride vehicle configured to traverse a ride path associated with the ride system, and wherein the information comprises a position of the ride vehicle along the ride path, an orientation of the ride vehicle along the ride path, a location of the sensor, a ride time, or any combination thereof. 
     
     
         13 . The ride system of  claim 1 , wherein the processing system is configured to:
 receive a signal from the assistive device;   determine a type of assistive show content to provide to the assistive device based on the signal; and   determine the assistive show content based on the information and the type of assistive show content.   
     
     
         14 . The ride system of  claim 13 , wherein the type of assistive show content comprises haptic show content, tactile show content, visual show content, audio show content, or any combination thereof. 
     
     
         15 . A method of providing assistive show content, the method comprising:
 sensing, via a sensor, a triggering event associated with a ride system, wherein the triggering event comprises a position of a ride vehicle of the ride system, an orientation of the ride vehicle, a location of a guest associated with the ride system, or an indication of a ride time;   transmitting, via a triggering device associated with the sensor, information associated with the triggering event over a network associated with the ride system;   receiving, via a processing circuitry, the information;   determining, via the processing circuitry, the assistive show content based on the information;   transmitting, via the processing circuitry, instructions configured to cause an assistive device associated with the ride system to output the assistive show content; and   outputting, via the assistive device, the assistive show content based on the instructions, wherein the assistive show content is configured to overlay, enhance, or replace standard show content of the ride system.   
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15 , comprising:
 receiving, via the processing circuitry, a data packet comprising the information from the triggering device;   receiving, via the processing circuitry and control logic associated with the ride system, output data indicating the assistive show content based on the information; and   generating, via the processing circuitry, the instructions configured to cause the assistive device to output the assistive show content based on the output data.   
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , comprising:
 receiving, via the processing circuitry, an indication of a type of assistive output data to provide, wherein the type of assistive output data comprises a haptic output, tactile output, visual output, audio output, or any combination thereof; and   determining, via the processing circuitry, the assistive show content based on the information and the indication of the type of assistive output data to provide.   
     
     
         18 . A ride system, comprising:
 an identifier reader device comprising a sensor configured to detect an identifier associated with an assistive location; and   an adaptive show control system comprising a processing system configured to:
 receive, from the identifier reader device, an indication of the identifier associated with the assistive location, wherein the indication comprises identification information associated with the assistive location; 
 identify the assistive location as associated with a flagged state based on the indication, wherein the flagged state indicates output of assistive show content at the assistive location; 
 receive information associated with a triggering event of the ride system; and 
 cause an output device associated with the assistive location to output the assistive show content based on the information and the flagged state. 
   
     
     
         19 . The ride system of  claim 18 , wherein the identifier comprises a barcode, a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag, an infrared tag, or a quick response (QR) code, and wherein the assistive location comprises a ride vehicle, a ride vehicle seat, or a location of a guest associated with the ride system. 
     
     
         20 . The ride system of  claim 18 , wherein the assistive show content comprises haptic output, tactile output, visual output, audio output, or any combination thereof that provides a cue as to upcoming positional or directional changes of a ride vehicle or a ride path associated with the ride system.