After a quick lunch and a nice walk at Meijer Gardens, I drove over to the John Ball Zoo. It was time for the annual lantern festival. This year was... interesting. They didn't have the Chinese acrobat show when I was there last year. It didn't feel like they had as many of the sensor-activated animatronic statues. But what they had was enjoyable.
The "Realms of Wonder" had three sections this time around: Underwater, Cultural and Fantasy. Obviously, my favorite was the fantasy realm.
I made my usual two passes through the Zoo, once in daylight and again in darkness with all the lanterns lit up.
The best animatronic statue there
was the ice dragon--though the sensor to activate it was a little frustrating.
They had this "gravity sensor" in front of the dragon but it was a little
difficult to get the timing right--activating it once it stopped moving. I
kept asking little kids to step on the sensor so I could get pictures and
video. Fun for them once it started roaring and breathing smoke at least.
The gravity sensor was new. I'm use to those pressure plates that are hidden
under mats. This one was a circle that would light up when stepped upon.
Haven't decided yet, but am debating the merits of going back in June before the event closes. Would really like to take a closer look at the sensor arrays and compare them to the Detroit Zoo's "Dinosauria" animtronics. Sometimes the "how it works" is just as interesting as the end product itself.
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