The Wonders of WorldKey

Vol 1. No. 11 Date: 9/11/82

EARTH STATION PLACES
INFORMATION AT GUESTS' FINGERTIPS

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- New electronic technologies will make Walt Disney World visits easier for millions of guests in Epcot Center who will be introduced to the WorldKey information system at Earth Station near the entrance to Future World.

Developed by Western Electric and Disney designers and presented by the Bell System, WorldKey will be located also at other locations in Future World and World Showcase. Earth Station is similar to City Hall in the Magic Kingdom but presented with computer-age convenience.

WorldKey allows guests to receive answers to all kinds of visitor convenience questions. The system gives information in virtually every aspect of Walt Disney World from Epcot Center restaurant reservations and shop locations to hotel reservations, show schedules and Magic Kingdom operating hours.

It uses 12-inch videodiscs to store millions of pieces of information using motion pictures, slides, printed words and sound. A low-power laser beam controlled by a computer, then reads the disc which is whirling at 1,800 rpms and sends the information to video terminals. By simply touching the right spot on the video screen, guests can get written and graphic descriptions to help better plan their Epcot Center visit.

Guests requiring a more personal touch may call up a host or hostess on their video screens for a two-way video talkback for additional information.

There are 10 WorldKey terminals in Earth Station with an additional 22 WorldKey satellites at other locations in Future World and World Showcase. Initially, information is available in English and Spanish. French and German will be added to the system in coming months.

Above the WorldKey information service terminals, grouped in a semi-circle around Earth Station, are seven large screens displaying a continually changing program of film, animation, and photos of Epcot Center attractions.

20 DAYS OUT

© 1982 Walt Disney Productions

COMMENTARY

When one considers the wonders of EPCOT Center, what first comes to mind is most likely the impressive futurism of Horizons or the fanciful Journey into Imagination or the fantastic architectural achievement of Spaceship Earth. However, for all their flashy production values these experiences fade away in the presence of the astonishingly forward-thinking WorldKey System.

In 1982, there was no World Wide Web of knowledge that people could readily access, nor was there touch screens. There weren't any full-color graphical interfaces, nor user-executed animated transitions. Two-way audio/video communications (then called "videotelephony") were in their infancy and user-friendly interactions were barely an idea. And yet there it was, all the technologies we take advantage of today present and fully-functional at EPCOT Center decades before their adoption by the masses.

In fact, genuine "touch" screen technologies were still several years away, so that creators of WorldKey (and several other interactive exhibits in CommuniCore) employed a workaround technology that "faked" the experience by having infrared arrays (aka "IR Curtains") installed on the edges of standard CRT monitors that would triangulate your finger's location on the screen and activate the button in the corresponding location. As a result, you never had to actually make contact with the screen - merely hover over it to use the terminal. When they said "The 21st Century Begins October 1st, 1982.", WorldKey made it a factual statement.

For an in-depth look into the development of this prophetic system watch this documentary from 1984: EPCOT Center’s WorldKey Information System

Earth Station WorldKey Terminals