Disney World adds Avatar Land

“Two great tastes that taste great together.” That was the Reeses’s Peanut Butter Cup’s slogan thirty-plus years ago. And they’re right … who doesn’t enjoy peanut butter and chocolate (unless you’re allergic)?

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When I saw a news report that Disney was going to create an attraction based on James Cameron’s Avatar my first thought was, “Two great tastes that taste great together.”

I love Disney World in Orlando, FL. When we visit the in-laws in Dade City, FL, we make a point to get to Disney World for at least one day. (My bride’s favorite park is EPCOT; mine is Disney Hollywood Studios.)

I really enjoyed Avatar. (I’m looking forward to the three sequels … the first being Avatar 2 in 2016.) I like the world that Cameron created and when the movie ended, I wanted to know more about Pandora and its people and culture.

The expansion of the Avatar lore will be furthered explored in a series of books by Steven Charles Gould (author of the Jumper series). According to avatarmovie.com James Cameron has tapped “… noted science fiction author Steven Charles Gould to write four novels base upon Avatar and its three sequels.”

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And now Disney and Avatar will be joined … just like peanut butter and chocolate. The Avatar attraction will become a part of Animal Kingdom. According to FOX NEWS, it will be the largest expansion in the history of the park.

Of all the Disney World parks in Orlando, Animal Kingdom is my least favorite. I think it’s claustrophobic. The main walks are lined with vegetation and if you happen to be going “upstream” when a show lets out, the mass of humanity coming at you can be overwhelming.

WDWMAGIC.com reports that Avatar Land is expected to open in 2016. The addition of Avatar Land might just be enough to entice me to return to Animal Kingdom.

Anyone interested in planning a trip to Orlando in 2016? Take me with you.

Robot Doctor

According to the American Heritage Dictionary, an avatar is an icon, graphic, or other image by which a person represents himself or herself on a communications network or in a virtual community. It’s common knowledge that people create avatars for use in role playing games, such as World of Warcraft.

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iRobot, a Bedford, Massachusetts company, develops robots for mundane tasks such as vacuuming and the not-so-mundane, such as bomb disposal. They have partnered with InTouch Health and created a robot avatar, RP-Vita. The RP-Vita is about 5’ 4” tall and according to InTouch Health was designed “to transform the delivery of acute care by expanding the use of remote consults and increasing the workflow efficiency.”

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Basically, a screen is mounted atop a mobile base. This screen allows a doctor to interact, remotely, with a patient. According to DVICE, medical professionals will be able to control the unit with iPads and monitor patients with two-way cameras. They’ll be able to perform exams and diagnose anything from a melanoma to dilated pupils. Seven hospitals in North America have started using the RP-Vita.

I don’t like it. If a patient’s condition required a consult from some expert who was half a world away or if patient’s were in quarantine, I could understand the need for the RP-Vita . But it seems like the vision is for medical professionals to conduct the bulk of their examinations remotely.

If I were lying in a hospital bed and a machination rolled in and started to examine me I think I’d find that disconcerting. What the hell, my doctor can’t even see me in person? It seems like this is a step toward removing personal contact between physician and patient. I don’t like it.

Is anyone concerned that the future of medicine could be getting too impersonal?