Lanny Smoot
Lanny Smoot is an American electrical engineer, inventor, scientist, and theatrical technology creator. With over 100 patents, he is Disney's most prolific inventor and one of the most prolific Black inventors in American history.
Throughout his career he has worked to inspire young people, especially Black youth, towards STEM.
Biography
Lanny was born in Brooklyn, NY, USA, and later attended Brooklyn Technical High School. He attended Columbia University, supported by a Bell Labs Engineering Scholarship and received his Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering. He then started work at Bell Communications Research, and while working at Bell, he also completed his Master's Degree in Electrical Engineering from Columbia. Smoot worked at Bell for two decades, where his mentors included James West, co-inventor of the electret microphone. Around 2000, he moved to Disney where he is currently a Disney Research Fellow.Notable work
At Bell, Smoot was known for his work on early development of video-on-demand and other video and fibre-optic technology. He anticipated a future where anyone could broadcast video.At Disney, Smoot's accomplishments include the drive system for the Star Wars BB-8 droid, interactive zoetropes for facial animation of objects, eye imaging for superhero masks and helmets, “Where’s the Fire?” at Innoventions, many Haunted Mansion special effects, virtual interactive koi ponds in Hong Kong Disneyland, Fortress Explorations at Tokyo DisneySea, Power City" in Spaceship Earth, and lightsabers for the Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser experience. Other patented inventions include new ride technology and glassless 3D displays.