Lanny Smoot facts for kids

Lanny Smoot, born on December 13, 1955, is an amazing American inventor and engineer. He creates special effects for shows and attractions. Lanny Smoot holds over 100 patents, which are like official documents for new inventions. This makes him Disney's top inventor! He is also one of the most successful Black inventors in American history. Lanny loves to encourage young people, especially Black youth, to get involved in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM).

Lanny Smoot's Journey

Early Life and Education

Lanny Smoot was born in Brooklyn, New York, in the United States. He went to Brooklyn Technical High School. Later, he studied at Columbia University. He earned his first degree in Electrical Engineering with help from a Bell Labs scholarship.

After college, Lanny started working at Bell Communications Research, also known as Bellcore. While working there, he continued his studies at Columbia University and earned his Master's Degree in Electrical Engineering. Lanny worked at Bell for 20 years. One of his teachers there was James West, who helped invent the electret microphone. Around the year 2000, Lanny Smoot joined Disney. Today, he is a Disney Research Fellow, which means he is a top expert in his field.

Amazing Inventions and Projects

Innovations at Bell Labs

When Lanny Smoot worked at Bell, he was known for his early work on video-on-demand. This technology lets you choose and watch videos whenever you want. He also worked on other video and fiber-optic technologies. He imagined a future where anyone could share videos easily.

Magical Creations at Disney

At Disney, Lanny Smoot has created many incredible things. He helped design the movement system for the BB-8 droid from Star Wars. He also made interactive zoetropes, which are devices that make objects look like they are moving. He worked on eye imaging for superhero masks and helmets.

Some of his other famous projects include:

• "Where's the Fire?" at Innoventions in Epcot.
• Many special effects for the Haunted Mansion attraction.
• Virtual interactive koi ponds at Hong Kong Disneyland.
• Fortress Explorations at Tokyo DisneySea.
• "Power City" in Spaceship Earth at Epcot.
• Lightsabers for the Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser experience.

Lanny has also patented new ride technologies and 3D displays that don't need special glasses.

Awards and Honors

Lanny Smoot has received many awards for his amazing work:

• 1973: He received the National Achievement Scholarship Award.
• 1987: He won the Most Promising Engineer Award at the first Black Engineer of the Year Awards (BEYA). This was for his important work in optical communications and broadband networks.
• 1996: He was named Inventor of the Year by the New Jersey Inventors Hall of Fame.

Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage, one of Smoot's award winning projects

• 2008: He received Thea Awards from the Themed Entertainment Association for the Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage at Disneyland and the Kim Possible World Showcase Playtest at Epcot.
• 2017: He received another Thea Award for "Ghost Post." This award recognized his special effects work for an experience inspired by the Haunted Mansion.
• 2020: He was named a TEA Master (Theatrical Technology) by the Themed Entertainment Association. This honor recognized his many magical effects, from Madame Leota's floating crystal ball to Luke Skywalker's glowing lightsaber.
• 2022: The United States Patent and Trademark Office named him Inventor of the Month.
• 2022: He was featured in the National Inventors Hall of Fame exhibit called "Breaking Barriers: Honoring Extraordinary Black Inventors."
• 2024: Lanny Smoot was added to the National Inventors Hall of Fame. He was recognized for his work on theatrical technologies and special effects. He is the first Disney inventor to be inducted since Walt Disney himself, who was inducted in 2000 for inventing the Multiplane camera.