A Disney designer wishes for their impressive retractable lightsaber to become a toy.
He suggested that Disney was already in talks with toy manufacturers.
During a recent event, an innovative lightsaber was unveiled featuring a revolutionary design that can fully retract automatically thanks to a patented mechanism. This remarkable invention was revealed by Disney three years ago and has generated expectations about its potential commercialization. Lanny Smoot, the engineer behind this creation and a prominent member of Disney Imagineering, expressed his hope that this lightsaber could become a product available to the general public.
At the latest D23 event, a fan directed a question to Smoot regarding the lightsaber's availability, to which he noted that Disney would be interested in moving forward with the project. In his own words, he mentioned that it seems to be the company's desire to translate the technology developed in the lightsaber into a more accessible format. However, Smoot later clarified that he does not have concrete information about the progress of this project, though he remains hopeful that it will materialize in the future.
Lanny Smoot, who has been recognized for his contributions in the field of technology, was recently inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame, an honor that few Disney inventors have achieved. Throughout his career, Smoot has been involved in the development of various innovations, including videoconferencing technologies and magnetic systems, in addition to having worked on creations such as the BB-8 from Star Wars and the Holo Tile flooring.
Although the retractable lightsaber was initially a simple accessory, there is another retractable toy that was designed, called the Goliath Power Saber, which never made it to stores due to Hasbro abandoning the project. This abandonment has left many wondering if Disney is considering sharing Smoot's lightsaber specifications with other toy manufacturers, which could shed light on Hasbro's decision in this regard.
