What are the bikes in "Tron" called?

Imagine racing a motorcycle that's basically a deadly game of Snake but in 3D. That's what blew everyone's minds in 1982's "TRON." Those glowing deathtraps zoomed through a digital arena leaving walls of light behind them, turning every wrong turn into instant pixelated doom. These sleek digital bikes became instant icons, but what were they called?

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The answer is: Light Cycles

They're called Light Cycles, and they came from the brilliant mind of designer Syd Mead, who turned the limitations of 1982's computer graphics into pure digital gold. The computers could only handle basic geometric shapes, so Mead designed streamlined motorcycles that looked amazing precisely because they were built from simple forms.

Creating these sequences pushed early CGI to its absolute limits. The computers were so basic that artists had to render each frame line by line, like the world's most patient Etch A Sketch. But there was something magical about those glowing trails of light and the way the bikes shattered into pixels when they crashed. The arcade game that followed was pure addiction and players couldn't get enough of trying to trap each other with light trails. And now you can even ride these digital death machines yourself at Disney theme parks in Shanghai and Florida.

These geometric speed demons made such an impression that they convinced a young animator named John Lasseter that computer animation was the future of moviemaking. He went on to help found Pixar, so you can thank these deadly digital motorcycles for giving us "Toy Story."