Technology has always been a significant factor that has changed our lives, and before technology hits the main market it often has a smaller run to test it out.  Within places like amusement parks, a controlled environment where futuristic technology is anticipated and met with excitement, this technology is innovated and released.  From the animatronics of opening day in Disney Land to the MyMagic+ system in place at Disney World, technology has consistently changed the way people vacation and spend money in the world. The bands contain radio frequency identification (RFID) chips that can be tracked using radio waves and can store information regarding tickets and credit cards within them, to allow guests ease when enjoying the parks.  This helps to eliminate worries about belongings such as credit cards and physical tickets. Long gone are the days when a bag full of papers and cards was necessary to enjoy theme parks, with MagicBands guests store the majority of that information in a little band around their wrist.  The possibilities for wearable technology are enormous, and the ability of places like Disney World to seamlessly integrate them into daily use is very exciting.   MagicBands, RFID chips, and wearable technology are changing the way we vacation and the way we view technology.  This is a fascinating thing that will change and adapt to fit customers needs through the years, and the world is waiting for what comes next. 

Walt Disney World has long been the first to develop products, things like Doritos and animatronics and now MyMagic+ and MagicBands. MyMagic+ is an online system also allows guests to maximize their time in the park by helping them schedule meal reservations, fast pass tickets, and other Disney experiences such as the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique.  This service can be linked to a physical MagicBand, a small brightly colored rubber bracelet that everyone can buy.  As the technology becomes more sophisticated Disney even hopes to be able to sense when a wearer touches certain objects and send them alerts and reminders based on that (Smartwatch Detects Objects).   This is already partially coming into play with places like the Be Our Guest restaurant’s service model.  For this restaurant you order ahead online, and when you arrive at the restaurant you sit wherever you would like and the food finds you based on your location of your MagicBand (Kuang).   This model already is being used, albeit in a less streamlined way, by popular restaurant chains that have you order at a counter and then give you a beeper or tracker to find you when your food is ready and bring it out.  

A big item that greatly affects the popularity of MagicBands is their ability to be linked to a credit card.  This not only makes life simpler for the user, but is likely to increase revenue at sales locations throughout the park. An article regarding food sales in amusement parks that use wristbands says, “the wristband can conveniently make purchases throughout the park,” and because customers did not need to worry about bringing a credit card into the park, purchases rose and made food sales easier and more frequent (Whetting Guests’ Appetites). When in Walt Disney World, items you purchase can even be brought back to your hotel room to reduce the amount of bags you need to carry around throughout the day.  By simplifying the amount of items being carried around, the park allows more time to be spent on experiences and memories than trying to figure out who is missing rides to stay with belongings.  Another extremely useful aspect of the MagicBands and MyMagic+ system is the ability to link a photo account with a band, so photos taken by park photographers can easily be viewed.  This also means that because people can view the photos at their leisure and then choose which ones they like the best, sales of photos will increase, as well as sales of the photo packages that automatically give the customer access to all the pictures for one price.  

There are many people who are strongly in support of MagicBands, but there are still a few downsides to these bracelets.  These negative views include the discomfort people may feel because they are being tracked by the RFID chips in the MagicBands.  The RFID tracking really is only inside the parks and resorts, so the uneasiness of being tracked should not be very great, especially because the bands signal only stretches about 15 meters in any given direction.  By having the ability to track the bands, Disney can see the parts of the parks and attractions that are underutilized or overcrowded, and can monitor wait times on popular attractions.  These monitoring feautures allow Disney to serve guests in a useful and efficient manner.  

Another concern is the safety of MagicBands because of the RF signals they emit.  A frequently asked questions page of Disney’s website addresses this issue, stating MagicBands, “are designed, tested and manufactured to comply with Federal Communications Commission (FCC) regulations” (Magic Kingdom).  The page also relays information regarding the possibility of bands interacting with medical devices such as pacemakers and insulin pumps.  Disney recommends keeping the MagicBand at least nine inches away from the device and contacting the manufacturer for more details (Magic Kingdom).  While some people claim that wearable technology is dangerous, those people are frequently shut down when their data is found to be falsified, used incorrectly, or said to be reaching conclusions the researcher did not draw.  The New York Times article by Nick Bilton entitled “The Health Concerns of Wearable Tech” is a prime example of this phenomenon.  He wrote the entire article based on studies that reached either inconclusive results, or results stating that there was no danger, but he only used bits and pieces that fit into his agenda to create fear based on the unknown.  This article focuses not on MagicBands but Apple watches, which were not yet released when this article was published.  Having the product not even available for general purchase also leads to the data Bilton spews about wearables being filled with danger being false.  The Times was forced to put out not just a correction on this article, but also an editors note saying the article was sensationalized.  This kind of fear-mongering can lead to major issues down the line in any product, but especially one that people may already be fearful of, despite there being no proof of any danger.  

MagicBands send information through RFID technology, where radio frequencies are used by chips embedded in the MagicBand to transmit information.  In the book Chipless RFID Reader Architecture the author clearly lays out how RFID technology works and provides the reader with an idea of what can be done with these RFID tags.  The security of users is of great importance to the creators of these technologies, especially as they become more widely adopted.  The “Internet of Things” as it is commonly known is growing rapidly and it is important to keep secure and accessible (Therier).  The wearable industry and the security associated with it is an important tool that needs to be monitored as it grows in scale and sophistication.  MagicBands work by transmitting data not directly from the band, but from a server that has the information combined with a unique number for each MagicBand.  If a guest does not wish to purchase a MagicBand, they can use a RF card, which acts similarly to a MagicBand but does not have the same long range capabilities.  Guests are given MagicBands when they stay in a Disney resort because the bands act as their room key.  The bands are reusable for approximately 2 years, which is how long the battery should last. 

One huge fear regarding many wearable technologies is hacking.  The good thing about this fear however, is that it has prompted developers and engineers to create what MIT is referring to as “hack-proof RFID chips” (Hardesty).  These chips are made with technology that keeps the key changing frequently, to prevent attackers from obtaining a complete key, and a power source within the chip to prevent, “a “power glitch” attack, in which the RFID chip’s power would be repeatedly cut right before it changed its secret key” (Hardesty).  These kinds of chips are extremely valuable, as it will give consumers greater piece of mind when relying on RFID chips.  MagicBands at Walt Disney World use RFID technology to track locations and relay information securely, regarding credit cards, tickets, and hotel room keys.  By making the chips impenetrable to attacks, the security level of the bands, and with that the owners credit card information and room number, are far safer than they originally were.  The development of ferromagnetic crystals has allowed the power supply to remain constant and stopped outside attacks from cutting off the power to the chip.  The crystals also store whatever, “data it’s working on in the 1.5-volt cells” that are integrated into the chip (Hardesty).

There are many steps being taken by Disney to prevent the MagicBands and park tickets from being taken advantage of, for example through reselling a band that is already loaded with tickets that were bought at a discount.  To prevent this Disney created a multi-step entrance that feels easy and smooth.  Every Disney gate contains a second factor of security besides just a ticket.  To enter the park you must scan your ticket, which is on a small plastic card, or MagicBand, and also use a fingerprint to get in. The fingerprint is on record through a system known as “ticket tag.” This system will convert a fingerprint into a numerical code which it recalls when the ticket is scanned (Magic Kingdom).  If a guest does not want to use their fingerprint, they are allowed to instead show a photo ID that matches with the name the ticket is registered to.  These kinds of security measures make the Disney experience better for everyone.  By preventing ticket scalping, or at least making it extremely difficult, the total revenue will increase, and ticket prices may not rise as quickly.  

The MagicBands at Disney are designed to never cause alarm, as Cliff Kuang writes, “When everything works, the reader flashes green and emits a pleasing tone; if something goes wrong, it glows blue—never red. Red lights are forbidden at Disney, as they imply something bad happened. Nothing bad can happen at Disney World.” These kinds of details are often not thought about, or they are ignored because the color red, as stated above, generally causes alarm.  Sometimes causing alarm is what is needed, but not at Disney.  These small things combine to make a happier overall experience, for example, if the band does not scan properly the first time a child might get scared when a red light glows or an angry beep is emitted.  By keeping the colors calm and the sounds pleasant the Disney experience is made better subconsciously.  People are also prone to overreact when confronted with angry sounds or colors, in a 1996 study from Naz Kaya and Helen Epps the color red was found to have many negative connotations such as blod and fighting, while blue was linked to feelings of calm and hope.  “The color green attained the highest number of positive responses,” and it also traditionally signifies an urge to go forward, especially since the advent of traffic lights (Kaya & Epps, 399).  

These technologies are spreading to other vacation industries as well.  A huge market is cruise lines, with a Carnival corporation ship being totally equipped with sensors to track their personally branded “medallion” that holds personal credit card, room, and location information (Barrett).  Sonja Th. Kwee-Meier, Jennifer E. Butzler, and Christopher Schlick wrote about the security measures useful to wearable technology, and the concerns over being tracked on cruise ships, but also the usefulness of these measures in tracking people in the event of an evacuation.  Carnival’s adaptation of a trackable technology similar to a MagicBand shows the usefulness of the item, and how it can be modified to work with many different sites.  “The same minds behind Disney’s Magic Band designed the Ocean Medallion to bring cruises into the future” (Barrett).  This technology feels very similar to the MagicBands because it is from the same people, and works very similarly.  The security behind medallions is that the medallions are only connected with a guest ID, not any actual information.  Guest information is accessed through Bluetooth and is stored in the cloud (Barrett). By organizing their system this way, it is harder for information to be compromised, creating a more secure user experience.  Other interesting tools the medallion provides are things like turning on the air and lights as you approach your cabin.  The use of this technology can not only improve the quality of your trip, but also, “the ship can turn them off when you’re out and about, saving energy—and money” leading to an improved financial outlook for the company (Barrett).  

An item that is extremely popular for many people that they might not even think of as wearable technology is a fitbit.  These devices have grown in popularity and the functions they can perform from a simple pedometer to a smartwatch that can accurately track your steps.  The models range from basic to elaborate.  Since fitbits have risen in popularity, people are far more accustomed to having a device buzzing on their wrist.  This means people are far more likely to embrace wearable technology and not be afraid of it because they wear it constantly.  Fitbits work through Bluetooth links, which is a safe transmit of information.  People also will wear fitbits when in a Disney park because they will get far more steps when at Disney than when they go through their regular daily routines.

Walt Disney World, Carnival, even Apple all know that wearable technology can be the next huge step into the modern era not just of vacations, but everyday life.  By showing consumers how convenient the technology can be in places such as an amusement park or cruise ships, the wearable technology is linked to a positive memory in the brain.  These kinds of experiences allow the public greater access to technology and a greater likelihood of use outside the park.  The multitasking that a MagicBand provides in a trip to Walt Disney World is exemplary and is currently a novelty that works extremely well.  The danger that wearable technology is said to be full of has never emerged, and many studies have disproven any negative link that may be said to occur. Carnival is hot on the footsteps of Disney, but developing a slightly different, personal take.  The chips inside the bands and other similar technologies are becoming harder, or close to impossible to hack, and are extremely secure.  The future of both MagicBands and wearable technology is extremely bright.  By looking at the way wearable technology has recently grown, we can see that companies are improving by leaps and bounds to improve guest experience and satisfaction.  This is vitally important because the industry will only continue to grow, and the potential of its growth is very exciting.
