Aaron Baughman, MS ’07, was planning a trip to Disney World with his daughters when an idea seized him: What if there was a device that would lead them to the rides they’d love best?
“The idea is to have people [wearing] devices like heart-rate monitors that get signals from the body, or from cameras situated around the park,” explains Baughman. Participants’ park experience could be designed based on their “biography”—age, likes and dislikes, body temperature, etc.—and recommendations would be made as interpreted by one’s cognitive and physiological state.
Baughman, who works at IBM Special Events, has brought his idea to fruition with a patent for the “User Experience Adjustment in Controllable Events.” He envision the system being utilized at other venues—shopping malls, tourist attractions, sporting facilities, or conferences.