Wannado City, which held its grand opening on August 13, 2004 at the Sawgrass Mills Mall in Sunrise, Florida (near Fort Lauderdale), is a first-of- its-kind attraction in the United States. Designed to inspire children from ages 4 to 11, the indoor city allows kids to actively explore a world where they become doctors, dentists, firefighters, archaeologists, actors, television news reporters, chefs, judges, airplane pilots and a host of other professions. There is a small scale courtroom, circus, television studio, police station, bank, dance club, hospital, and even an airplane with a realistic flight simulator.
Included in the general admission fee, each visitor receives a WannaFinder plastic wristband, a hybrid wireless bracelet which combines a Texas Instruments 23mm passive, low frequency transponder and an RF Code Mantis series active RFID tag.
The WannaFinder wristband communicates information, including a person's location, via radio signals to a series of TI and RF Code readers and makes the information accessible through the many WannaFinder touch screen kiosks situated throughout the park. RF Code's TAVIS(TM) data management software collects and consolidates data from the active RFID tags, while SafeTzone's patented Real-Time Location Module draws associations among the passive and active data to identify and locate each member of a group. Groups can easily and securely access the real-time location of their members, on a map of the park, at any time of day in English or Spanish simply by scanning their WannaFinder wristbands at any kiosk. While the active tag communicates a person's location, the passive RF tag automatically identifies visitors as they approach the touch screen kiosks and scan their wristbands, linking them to onscreen icons marking the individual location of any member of their family or group within the park. The instant, real-time location of group members and amenities enables parents and guardians to know where their kids are, while at the same time empowering them to explore career roles with their young peers with unprecedented freedom and safety.
