Gizmodo: roller coasters

Rip Ride Rockit Coaster to Feature Individual Music Players, Multiple Cameras

Adam Frucci — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 11:20:00 EDT

The new Rip Ride Rockit roller coaster, currently being constructed at Universal Studios in Orlando, is gunning to be the most tech-heavy coaster in existence.

Every seat on the coaster has a "guest interface panel," which is a touchpad that allows them to choose what music they want to listen to during the ride. Their choice is then pumped through individual Polk Audio speaker setups designed to ensure that they hear their own music and not the music of the people around them.

During the ride, 14 cameras will be filming them. There are six on each car and eight along the track. The footage is then edited with the music you're listening to and you're able to take it home with you, for a price of course.

Look for the Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit to open later this spring/summer. [Universal Orlando]

Way More Boobs About to Make Disneyland Rollercoasters Exciting Again

Adam Frucci — Thu, 07 May 2009 11:14:54 EDT

On many Disneyland coasters, there's a camera set up to automatically take your picture as you go down the biggest drop. They then try to sell you said picture at the end of the ride. Of course, this is a great opportunity to flash your boobs and have a bunch of kids see it, so Disney has always kept employees on hand dedicated to weeding out such salacious images before they hit the screens that visitors can see. No more!

Disney has decided to reassign these nipplecentric workers, making getting your boobs on screen a much easier affair at the theme park. See, the economic downturn does have a silver lining. [Wired via Boing Boing]

BuzzBall Brings the Rollercoaster Experience to Your Backyard

Jack Loftus — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 17:30:00 EDT

Can't quite make it to a Six Flags this weekend? Sign up for a BuzzBall then, and bring the motion-induced vomiting to you! Cooked up by some crazy New Zealanders from Evento as a cure for 'coaster aficionados without access to the rails, the BuzzBall features a pair of electric motors, each of which controls a separate throttle. The two throttles cause the chair inside to spin, or they can work in tandem to move the ball around a flat space (or a hill, Mr. Extreme Sports, whatever you want). Once the ball gets moving, however, watch out, because that's when the real ~~vomiting~~ fun begins.

When the BuzzBall moves about and the operator starts to turn, the seat begins to rotate against the direction of travel. If you haven't figured it out already, that means you get a series of spins and barrel rolls—while you're moving. How one stops this thing we haven't a clue, but it probably involves passing out.No pricing is available just yet, but the BuzzBall folks are surveying site visitors with some options. [Evento via OhGizmo!]

New Coaster Doesn't Screw Around, Features 97 Degree Drop

Adam Frucci — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 19:10:00 EDT

As soon as you think they can't build a more intense roller coaster, someone comes along and makes one that's crazier than anything anyone's seen before. Today's example: the Farenheit at Hershey Park, a coaster that drops you down a 97-degree slope. Yes, that's beyond vertical. It hits you with 4 Gs of force, more than what NASA astronauts are subjected to. Holy crap. Hit the jump for a video of this thing in action, then feel free to falsely claim how big a man you are and how much you'd enjoy this voluntary abuse.

[Popular Mechanics via Geekologie]