Apparatus for detecting guest interactions in an entertainment installation provide individual guests, either alone or in a group, the ability to interact with the entertainment installation. In response to the detection of the guest interaction, the entertainment installation can react to the individual guest that indicated a need for specific attention.
Conventional apparatus for detecting guest interactions are known. For example, television game shows typically have button-operated devices installed near the contestant or each audience seat. The contestant or audience member can depress one or more buttons to register their answer or preference. This allows the game show host to single out the individual who may have been first to solve a question posed by the game show host or to quickly collate the responses of an audience and obtain a majority view on a question having multiple choice answers. Although suitable for some game shows, such button-operated devices are not a natural way to get attention and require some instruction for their use. This can be a problem especially with younger guests, such as, children. A simpler and more natural way to interact or get attention is hand raising, which is usually learned at a young age when a child enters kindergarten or preschool.
A need therefore exists for an apparatus for detecting guest interactions, and method therefore, in an entertainment installation that detects guest interactions in the form of body motions of individual guests and can distinguish the individuals in the group who initiate the guest interaction.