Lanny Smoot, one of the initial recipients of the Most Promising Engineer Award at the BEYA STEM Conference, has been selected as one of fifteen pioneers whose inventions will be recognized in the class of 2024 National Inventors Hall of Fame Inductees. The announcement was made at the Walt Disney Imagineering campus.
The Hall of Fame, in partnership with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), will honor these Inductees on May 9 at “The Greatest Celebration of American Innovation,” one of the most anticipated events in the innovation industry.
Lanny, a patent leader with over 100 patents at The Walt Disney Company, was selected for excellence in Theatrical Technologies and Special Effects.
As a Disney Imagineer, he designed a variety of special effects, interactive experiences, new ride vehicles and robotic concepts, and other technological advancements for theme parks, attractions , Disney’s resorts, hotels, and cruise ships, creating guest experiences and fostering innovation for the future. attraction.
Kathi Vidal, Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the USPTO stated, “Each year, I am impressed and inspired by the accomplishments of the newest Inductees into the National Inventors Hall of Fame. We are proud to honor these world-changing inventors of the class of 2024, showing us the power to turn ideas into realities and join our intellectual property system to positively impact our society and our future.
Michael Oister, CEO of the National Inventors Hall of Fame, said, “For more than 50 years, the National Inventors Hall of Fame has been proud to recognize extraordinary creators and innovators. The stories of our class of 2024 and their world-changing inventions, such as various cancer treatments, imaging technology, agricultural machinery, and the snowmobile, will be included in our children’s invention education programs, as are our summer and after school program, Camp Invention. and Invention Project.”
The National Inventors Hall of Fame, established in 1973 in partnership with the United States Patent and Trademark Office, is America’s leading non-profit organization dedicated to recognizing inventors and inventions, promoting creativity, and promoting the spirit of innovation and entrepreneurship.
The Hall of Fame is committed to honoring individuals whose inventions have made the world a better place and to ensuring that American ingenuity continues to thrive in the hands of future generations through its national, hands-on -on educational program and college competitions focused on the exploration of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
In 2019, Lanny gave an interview to US Black Engineer magazine, where he discussed winning the BEYA award in 1987 and his career as an engineer over the past 30 years. Recently, Disney announced that Lanny had obtained his 100th patent.
Lanny has invented and patented many technologies that enable Disney and the theatrical community to create new entertainment experiences. He was one of Disney’s greatest inventors.
Before joining Disney, Lanny worked at AT&T Bell Laboratories and Bell Communications Research, where he developed new methods of distributing digital video information over optical fiber and solved traffic congestion in high-speed packet switches.
Lanny’s work can be seen throughout Disney’s theme parks and resorts, including “Where’s the Fire?” of Innoventions, special effects in the Haunted Mansion, and the lightsabers used in Star Wars Launch Bays. He has also invented futuristic ride systems and 3D displays without glasses that have yet to be implemented.
Lanny has dedicated 42 years of his life as an engineer, scientist, and researcher, with 22 years of service at Disney. He has received numerous awards, including being the 2020 TEA Master of the Themed Entertainment Association and being featured in the “Breaking Barriers: Honoring Extraordinary Black Inventors” exhibit at the National Inventors Hall of Fame.
Lanny mentored many young people, encouraging them to pursue careers in science and themed entertainment. He earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in electrical engineering from Columbia University.
