^TM

AND OTHER DISNEY INNOVENTIONS

by HOWARD and MADELYN MILLER

It is every homeowner's dream: a fully-automated mower that trims your grass while you do other chores, play golf, or simply take a nap. And it is performing daily at Walt DISNEY World Epcot.

The Innovations showcase is Epcot '95's new world exposition of amazing products for the near future. Walt Disney World visitors can test, touch, feel and see products from scores of companies surrounding the new Innovations Plaza in the heart of Future World.

Spaceship Earth, a shiny, 180-foot-high geosphere is the symbol of Epscot '95 at the Walt Disney World Resort. Behind the silver-colored landmark is a showplace for man's achievements past, present and future, and an international fellowship of nations.

Future World brings guests face to face with scientific achievements and tomorrow's technologies, while World Showcase opens the door to cultures from around the globe with the sights, sounds and cuisines from 11 nations.

Spaceship Earth, presented by AT&T is Future World's landmark adventure. Dramatic new scenes in the attraction and its post show depict life in the 21st century's "Global Neighborhood." With narration by actor Jeremy Irons and an impressive new musical score, guests experience a time-travel journey from the beginning of time to the electronic age.

Crescent-shaped buildings just beyond Spaceship Earth to the south house INNOVENTIONS,

A DAZZLING new showcase for gadgets and gizmos of the near future. It is here that you can see the new Weed Eater Robotic Solar Mower, the world's first fully-automated, emission-free, solar-powered lawn maintenance system. The energy comes from 34 solar cells imbedded on its flat, oval shell. These iridescent cells harness enough power to trim yards up to 13,500 square feet with three small metal blades.

Weighing 12.5 pounds, the mower has a polycarbonate shell that is about the same size as a standard mower without a handle. Cutting height is adjustable by hand, and the steel blades constantly trim the tips of the grass and return them to the yard as mulch that requires no raking or disposal.

Prior to "installing" the mower, an audit determines whether the mower will operate satisfactorily in a particular yard. The product's performance is affected by such variables as shade size and shape of lawn and type of grass.

But this is just one of the Innoventions you can see at Epcot. Hands-on exhibits constantly change as new products and technologies are developed. In addition, guests get a backstage peek at a Disney virtual reality attraction in development at the WALT DISNEY Imaginneering Lab.

Don't miss The Living Seas, presented by United Technologies, a ride through a Caribbean coral reef contained in a huge tank 200 feet in diameter and 27 feet deep. I loved the zany "Food Rocks" concert about good nutrition, and enjoyed Kodak's new high-tech 3 -D misadventure, " Honey, I shrunk the audience."

Across World Showcase Lagoon, 11 nations offer distinctive wares, ethnic cuisine, shows, entertainment and architecture representing their cultures. Even the landscaping changes from country to country around the 1.3 mile promenade.

Each World Showcase village is a celebration of the nation's life, culture and heritage. World showcase ambassadors come from across the globe to represent their homelands at the theme park. As part of the show, holidays and festivals are commemorated by the ambassadors in ways they would be celebrated "back home," allowing Epcot guests a chance to get '"caught up" in these international celebrations.

DINING AT EPCOT '95

The restaurants of World Showcase offer authentic cuisine from around the globe, from traditional Italian at Alfredo's in the Italy showcase to chicken couscous in Morocco's Restaurant Marrakech. Guests may make dinner reservations for nearly two dozen restaurants through the World Key information System with kiosks at Guest Relations and throughout the park.

Photo by Dave Shultz

Back to TravelLady Magazine