Lanny Smoot, Disney inventor behind live-action lightsaber, to be inducted into National Inventors Hall of Fame
by cnn
Lanny Smoot, Disney inventor behind live-action lightsaber, to be inducted into National Inventors Hall of Fame
by cnn
4 comments
Lanny Smoot has been an inventor for as long as he can remember. He told CNN one of his fondest childhood memories was the day his dad brought home a light, batteries, a bell and wire.
“I probably was five or six years old, and he got the light to light up, the bell to ring – and the light from that memory has lit my entire life,” Smoot said.
Smoot said the experiment sparked an immediate fascination with anything involving electricity and electronics. He would often spend time dismantling things, using the parts to make the unique creations he dreamed up.
Now, more than 60 years later, Smoot says he hasn’t lost his passion for inventing. The Disney research fellow and imagineer has amassed 106 patents and counting, and his prolificacy and impact in the theatrical technologies and special effects field have earned him an induction into the 2024 [National Inventors Hall of Fame.](https://www.invent.org/inductees/lanny-smoot)
“Being inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame is a dream come true,” he said of the achievement. “For an inventor, this is the best thing you can do.”
For Smoot, the honor became even more profound when he realized the only other Disney employee to earn the same recognition was Walt Disney himself.
“I got a lump in my throat,” he said. “I became a little emotional. I thought, ‘The weight of that is real, right?’”
“I love to create. I love to come up with inventions … just wanting to make good things that will amaze and enchant people.”
[https://www.cnn.com/2024/01/25/us/lanny-smoot-disney-inventors-hall-of-fame-reaj/index.html](https://www.cnn.com/2024/01/25/us/lanny-smoot-disney-inventors-hall-of-fame-reaj/index.html)
Anyone got a link explaining how the light sabre invention works?
Always liked the term imagineer.
Imagineer was always my answer to what i wanna be when i grow up. thanks dude for inspiring little me