There's several notes to keep in mind. Apparently the deal was structured in 5 year increments with a first 5 year period, and then the option for another 5 year extension. The rights will be up in 2017 unless Kuka/Roboarm decides it's in their best interest to let the rights stay in Universal's hands. I just don't see that happening. A couple years ago Kuka was just the unproven newcomer, now it's one of the undisputed leaders in ride design. Disney, Merlin, Six Flags, and SeaWorld/Busch Gardens will be happy to pay top dollar for their units post 2017. I say there's little chance it stays exclusive, it's in Kuka's best interest to breed competition.
Remember the deal only covers Florida and maybe California. That means any other Disney Park has access to the tech. As we know, there's one central design firm behind all the Parks and it's based in Glendale. The same Imagineers that design attractions for Paris, Tokyo, HKDL, and Shanghai also design attractions for WDW and DL. They could easily view the tech, and get to know it's makeup without it being a crime. Now can they implement it yet? No, not until after 2017. They could start planning rides that include it though, no crime in mere design.
Thanks for that last bit. Since we were talking about WDW (and the surrounding regions), that was my bent with "anyone", but it probably wasn't clearly stated. That first bit is speculation on both parts, so we'll have to see. I can see KUKA leaving THAT tech with Uni in specific regions, pending further use, for the right amount of money. Again, they haven't seemed unhappy with the current deal. The exact dates are in question, too, (unless there's a version of the contract on the net that I've missed, which is entirely possible!) for expiration. We know it's sometime between April 2017 and Jan 2020....between 2 and 5 years from now....depending on whether the clock started ticking during design and construction or not.
Disney would have to be VERY careful on design, without a contract with KUKA in place, that hinges on their tech. Even considering they could try to pass it off as "for a different park" (say, DLP). You could blue sky (concept and artwork), but anything further than that could be argued as a violation not only of the exclusivity deal, but of patent infringement, without involving KUKA directly. If you're using it as part of a pitch....sure. But in terms of real, detailed, workable design? Dicey.
And any blue sky plans would be outside of the immediate expansion plans for DHS, Epcot, etc...unless they decide to pull another SDMT and shoe horn something in for "late opening". Because going from blue sky to design to testing to construction would likely put us outside their current rumored time frames. They'd basically have to leave open ground, during construction, for at least a couple years, to be able to use the tech. I find that option unlikely.
They're plenty familiar (heck, they had a version sitting on their property) with the tech, now, FYI. It hasn't really changed much since inception (some reliability improvements). They know how it works enough to blue sky with it. They reportedly worked with KUKA, before the uni deal, to try to create a modified version of it to fit a different idea....but it a) didn't pan out and b) was then swallowed up by the uni exclusivity deal.
But realistically...they can't do any real design (I'm talking schematic level stuff) for anything they'd potentially plan for WDW until after the deal with uni expires. Not without risk of legal exposure....and I doubt it's a level of risk they'd find worth taking. Not even in a wink wink nudge nudge capacity. Easier to let it lay until the deal has officially expired.
Edit:
AND, the tangent, while interesting, still belies the initial point: TODAY, nobody can use the tech (in relation to WDW, etc) to built multi-axis simulator rides except Uni. So bemoaning a lack of them on WDW property is a little....off base.
). There's only so many people making six figure incomes who want to vacation in Disney for the next 40 years. At least SSR--for all its faults--was aimed at the middle middle class. The current crop of DVC resorts is strictly for the upper class.
